I flew through this book. The translation is phenomenal, making it easy to read and the plot draws you in very quickly.

A little bit about the plot: Mabel goes to work with her mom, Eunice, who is a live-in maid for a very wealthy family in Brazil. She finds it insufferable and is eager to escape this cycle and make a better life. We get her perspective, opinions, and experiences with the wealthy couple and their children. We also get Eunice's perspective. As a mom, she's doing the best she can to work and tries to keep the peace in the home she is working in. Throughout the book, conflict makes her question her quest to stay quiet in the background.

I enjoyed the contrast of the mother and daughter's opinions on their situation and the side characters of the story. Overall, the book gives a good glance into the reality of slavery in Brazil at the time. I'm so excited that the book has been translated into English and hope it will be successful!

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada & NetGalley for an advanced copy of this newly translated book - expected publishing date: August 25, 2025

What I can appreciate about Solitaria is that it has a very focused thesis idea that underlies the entire plot -- it knows what it's about and explores it with fervor. The end result ties together in a bit of a dualistic way (i.e: poor people = good, rich people = bad), and while I always enjoy an analysis of class structures, I just wish it was explored in a more nuanced way that dissected the overall societal issues rather than individual morality. I also found the actual writing to be a bit simplistic, but this could very well be a product of being translated. Beyond this, I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives; the final part was especially unique and tied together the themes of isolation and invisibility. Overall, I think most readers will be able to appreciate the authors valiant attempt to shed light on the unique, but also universally felt, class imbalances in Brazil.

Soltaria by Eliana Alves Cruz, translated by Benjamin Brooks, is about a mother and daughter who work as live-in maids for the rich while navigating their lives. The story touches on themes of classism, colonialism, racism, and how they intersect.

This book was captivating - no line of it was wasted as everything felt interesting and important. The way the author hints at a larger event, then takes her time telling the story is gripping. You as the reader get a glimpse at what will happen and desperately want to know how it comes to be. This style of writing is so successful partly due to the fact that the characters have depth and feel like real people.

The little-room being a place where characters face things in solitude is what makes all of the tragedies of the book seem greater. There are strong metaphors throughout the book that act as a commentary on how systems of oppression maintain the status quo, but they are subtle enough that the book doesn’t feel preachy.

One piece of criticism I will give is that I didn’t love the addition of a recent world event to the end of the book. While I can understand that it was included to further drive the point of the story’s overall themes, I felt it acted as a distraction from the main story. This addition was minor enough that it doesn’t change my overall rating, however.