The Haunting of Alejandra
By: V. Castro
Publisher: Del Rey
Genre: Horror Fiction
On Sale April 18, 2023
*Review & quotations are based on a proof copy*
Reviewer Marisa Marquez
TW: suicidal thoughts, blood, death, minor child abuse
A powerful story about Alejandra, a stay at home mother, who is feeling broken. She experiences negative thoughts and emotions towards herself as well as her family. These negative thoughts are followed by whispers from a woman dressed in white, La Llorona. Alejandra is plagued by visions of the spirit and they grow more gruesome as she continues to strain from the pressures from home and those she loves. Castro wrote a vulnerable, chilling as well as feminist story featuring the legendary La Llorana to explore themes like motherhood and generational trauma.
Readers won’t be able to sleep because of this page turner that will have them questioning both what may be hiding in their closets and the lack of support provided to mothers throughout history.
I truly cannot express my love for this book enough! Those who have enjoyed works by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Isabel Cañas will also enjoy V. Castro’s poetic writing. Written in first person, THoA interchanges between the present and the past; featuring chapters that focus on the life changing moments experienced by Alejandra’s foremothers. The chapters flow effortlessly through the years to create a vivid history for our protagonist. The chapters about her foremothers were the most fun, even though we are with these characters for a short amount of time there are a lot of details included to create a better understanding of the main character. These chapters further emphasize the main theme of family and the idea of intuition being our guide as it has been provided to us through our ancestry.
“ ‘I hope my children aren’t anything like me.’
‘Don’t say that. Your resilience is something to be proud of’ ”(Castro, 115).
What I appreciated the most from this novel was the honesty and the raw thoughts that are explored. The novel reads like a love letter to women, especially women of color, and mothers everywhere.
I think that as mothers we have all had our own low points, but we never talk about them out of fear of being perceived to be a bad mom. By having a character experience thoughts of suicide, of living an unfullfilled life, of wanting more than being a mom,of resentment towards her children and spouse create an all too relatable character because being a mom is hard! But by society’s standards, “You’re supposed to smile through motherhood (Castro 53).”
Alejandra’s vulnerability made me feel seen as a mother and as a woman, her journey of overcoming her demons reminded me of my own and how strong women are.
Alejandra does not go into battle alone; she finds a therapist, Melanie, who is also a curandera. Melanie provides her the guidance she needs to heal mentally and also believes Alejandra when she mentions the visions of La Llorona. She has some of the best lines in the book one of my favorites is:
“ ‘You don’t have to be the woman anyone else wants you to be or tells you you should be to make them more comfortable in their own existence’ ”(Castro 59).
Cathy is another character that I loved. Her chapter made me cry. The mother of Alejandra, she became pregnant with Alejandra while she was about to graduate from high school. She believed that giving up her daughter for adoption was the best decision for them both. Cathy wanted to be a Mexican American doctor and felt that she wasn’t good enough for her daughter since she barely knew how to take care of herself. She has this fire that I admire and her story brought up questions of why we put so much pressure on women. We are judged for being pregnant, it has to be the right time, age, and circumstances. We are so often criticized by the choices we are making about OUR BODIES. It was aggravating to read while the nurse judged and lectured her, but Cathy is resilient. My favorite quote from her is:
“ A bonfire burned in her heart as she walked out the door without telling anyone. No one noticed her, either. Why would they? But one day they would ” (Castro 87).
Now La Llorona is scary and disgusting and was all around creepy!
I don’t read horror stories, however I was intrigued by this story because I was familiar with the legend. The legend is refreshed as the being that is haunting Alejandra isn’t a spirit, but a demon that made a deal with one of her ancestors long ago making her bloodline cursed. Castro slowly introduces the figure adding more details to its overall image and origin. With each chapter tension is created to scare readers. The scares are mild and I’m a scaredy cat. So if you’re hesitant to read this book because you’re easily frightened, if I can read it you can read it!
Overall I rate this book 5 stars.
It was more than the ghost story I was expecting it to be. By going into depth on themes like motherhood and generational trauma there is a connection created between the protagonists and the readers. There are great points made that can inspire and provide hope. It’s a terrifying tale because of how much truth is in it. The balance between the myth and modern defines this novel and provides readers with a story that will haunt them long after they’ve finished reading it.
Thank you to the publishers and Hear Our Voices Tours for the amazing opportunity to read this glorious book!
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