Soledad is a 2001 novel
by American author Angie Cruz (b. 1972). Cruz is an activist and teacher of Dominican descent.
This work features an immigrant family living in a humble Washington Heights neighborhood of
Upper Manhattan. Theis a twenty-year-old woman named Soledad, who, two years earlier, left her
poor neighborhood to attend Cooper Union (a famous and very selective college), reside in a
higher-income New York City neighborhood, and work at an art gallery.
Young
Soledad has moved up in the world in a very impressive way, but, after only two years of a new
and promising life, she is compelled to return home because her mother, Olivia, has fallen ill.
Olivias illness is described as a kind of psychosomatic malady, or a physical illness caused by
mental difficulty or stress. She is partly catatonic or comatose, and Soledads relatives believe
that her mother is resolving some difficult issues in her sleep. They also tell Soledad that her
return home is the only hope for her mothers cure. The novel is told in part from the point of
view of female relatives and includes Olivias dream narration and flashbacks.
Immersed once again in her family history and neighborhood drama, Soledad works to help
restore the damaged relationship she and her mother have. She also tries to tame the outrageous
behavior of a younger cousin, Flaca, and attempts not to fall for a local fellow. The author
examines issues such as the contrast and tensions between older and younger generations of
Dominican immigrants, family struggles and secrets, and the rejection and acceptance of cultural
background. The novel has been described as having an open-ended ending and has received mixed
critical reviews.
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