We did it! We finally finished the book club read, The Haunting of Alejandra. Answer the discussion questions and we will include it in our book club episode ❤️
Discussion :
What did you think of the depiction of generational trauma in the book?
In the traditional legend of la llorona, we are told she kills her children over a man. How did you feel about V. Castro's rewriting of La Llorona?
We mostly follow Alejandra, but the book goes back through different generations, how did you feel about the back and forth?
Is it safe to assume we all hate Matthew? He seemed to show who he was from the beginning. Why do you think Alejandra ignored red flags? Do you agree with her choices?
What do you rate this book?
What are your final/overall thoughts on this book?
1. What did you think of the depiction of generational trauma in the book?
I like the way that generational trauma was depicted & showed the rippling effects of something endured centuries earlier & how it manifests in different ways as it is passed down. I like how it paired with the curse of La Llorona as being a literal curse & metaphorical one. I also appreciated the way that V. Castro had Alejandra reconcile & repair things with her family to mend the pains caused by generational trauma without dismissing her pain either. When she met her parents, she let them know that her time in the system was painful & she did not have the nice house they imagined but still wanted to build a relationship with them (or at least her mom).
2. In the traditional legend of la llorona, we are told she kills her children over a man. How did you feel about V. Castro's rewriting of La Llorona?
It's been a while since I read the book, so I can't quite answer this question. But I like how Atzi is a riff on La Llorona as one of the apocalyptic harbingers, & I love the design choices that are detailed in the book. She is an unnerving entity.
I've never had a child, thus never experienced postpartum depression, but I could feel the weight of motherhood & childbirth from the way V. Castro described it. At times, that honestly terrified me the most in this book.
3. We mostly follow Alejandra, but the book goes back through different generations, how did you feel about the back and forth?
I enjoyed it, but it also made me really want to stay with those characters, too. I wanted all the details, all the backstories. The cover of the book plays well into the generations of women haunted by & La Llorona.
4. Is it safe to assume we all hate Matthew? He seemed to show who he was from the beginning. Why do you think Alejandra ignored red flags? Do you agree with her choices?
Yeah. I kind of felt like he might have been genuine at the end, but for how long could he really extend empathy to someone he never bothered to actually know? Adding to him being a safe option, Alejandra also didn't really come to know herself until the present moments in the book. Her life experiences made her think she wasn't strong enough to survive on her own, that she was unwanted & love was not something she could give herself, & that her own desires didn't matter. She had some inkling of what she wanted & who she was, but she ignored it & let others make decisions for her because of how exhausted she was. Fighting for her children reignited her spark & made her realize if she wanted her children to have better futures, it had to start with her & how she treats herself.
There are many reasons why people enter relationships & marry others. I don't judge her for doing what she needed to survive, & I think she left the relationship when she could. It may have been a healthier decision for her to leave earlier, especially so Catalina doesn't internalize her parents' relationship, but that was not possible until she started the work with Melanie (I think that was the therapist/curandera's name).
5. What do you rate this book?
7/10 ghosts. I remember enjoying the read but not being entirely satisfied.
6. What are your final/overall thoughts on this book?
I think this is a very moving book that anyone who has experienced childbirth should read. While anyone can connect with it & enjoy the haunting tale, I think this story really speaks to an experience that people who gave birth may feel validated by & see themselves in.
What did you think of the depiction of generational trauma in the book?
I thought it was really good. it was shown as sort of an outside source affecting the person like a ghost, something that felt like it was out of Alejandra’s control.
In the traditional legend of la llorona, we are told she kills her children over a man. How did you feel about V. Castro's rewriting of La Llorona?
I kinda love it, they always make her seem like a stupid and horrible woman but when you think you’re saving your children from a horrible future then you feel desperate and would consider that, especially if you have nowhere to run, not saying it’s right at all but desperate times desperate measures. Also the ending of the la llorona story at the end got me crying like she thought she was doing good but the story ended the other way around with la llorona being the one that died and is looking for her kids that survived.
We mostly follow Alejandra, but the book goes back through different generations, how did you feel about the back and forth?
I was down with the sickness, it gave more insight into who her ancestors were and what they went through. What the haunting did before her and how the story normally plays out.
Is it safe to assume we all hate Matthew? He seemed to show who he was from the beginning. Why do you think Alejandra ignored red flags? Do you agree with her choices?
Yes we hate matthew. She chose the safest option and it’s not uncommon to be with someone you don’t really love in order to be stable. She knew he could provide and he was into her so she ran with it. I don’t agree with it but being adopted into a not so great family and trying to escape is definitely a situation that’s not new.
What do you rate this book?
Like 8/10 ghosts
What are your final/overall thoughts on this book?
It was dope, I’ve recommended it to a few people I know especially people going through shit, they haven’t read it but I still put it out there.