(Hardcover, September 2022). (Paperback, September 2023) (Spanish translation, June 2024)
Angie Cruz
How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water
(Flatiron, September 2022)
Angie Cruz, translated by Kianny N. Antigua
Cómo no ahogarse en un vaso de agua
(Seven Stories, June 2024)
One of Libro.fm’s Top 20 Most Recommended Audiobooks of All Time
Finalist for the 2024 Neustadt International Prize of Literature
Finalist for the Aspen Words Literary Prize
Longlisted for the New Literary Project Joyce Carol Oates Prize
The New York Times Editor’s Choice
Audiofile Earphones Award Winner
Good Morning America’s September Buzz Pick
One of Apple Books’ Best Books Of September
One of Amazon’s Top 100 Books Of The Year
A Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee
One of The Washington Post’s “50 Notable Works of Fiction”
One of The New York Times “100 Notable Books of 2022”
Winner of the SheReads Best Literary Fiction Award
From the beloved author of Dominicana, a GMA Book Club Pick and Women’s Prize Finalist, an electrifying and indelible new novel about a woman who has lost everything but the chance to finally tell her story.
Write this down: Cara Romero wants to work.
Cara Romero thought she would work at the factory of little lamps for the rest of her life. But when, in her mid-50s, she loses her job in the Great Recession, she is forced back into the job market for the first time in decades. Set up with a job counselor, Cara instead begins to narrate the story of her life. Over the course of twelve sessions, Cara recounts her tempestuous love affairs, her alternately biting and loving relationships with her neighbor Lulu and her sister Angela, her struggles with debt, gentrification and loss, and, eventually, what really happened between her and her estranged son, Fernando. As Cara confronts her darkest secrets and regrets, we see a woman buffeted by life but still full of fight.
Structurally inventive and emotionally kaleidoscopic, How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water is Angie Cruz’s most ambitious and moving novel yet, and Cara is a heroine for the ages.
Praise For How Not To Drown In A Glass Of Water
“Taut and poignant…Luckily for us, Cara is an oversharer…drawing us in with her magnetic storytelling and breezy self-confidence…In projecting Cara’s voice, Cruz prioritizes the importance of seeing an individual’s humanity even within the most impersonal of systems.”
— Zakiya Dalila Harris, The New York Times Book Review
“Will have you laughing line after line, even when you wonder if you should be. (The answer is always yes! )…Cruz never misses. Her new novel aims for the heart, and fires.“
— Natashia Deón, Los Angeles Times
“Cruz once again offers a fresh glimpse of immigration, womanhood, aspiration and gentrification … HOW NOT TO DROWN IN A GLASS OF WATER delivers a sense of the enduring worth of relationships, life experiences and determination as currencies in a difficult world.”
— Charmaine Wilkerson, The Washington Post
“Big Neapolitan-novels-meets-Topics-of-Conversations vibes…I can’t wait to fall into this one.”
—LitHub
“With wit and warmth, author Cruz explores Cara’s [life]. The potency of Cara’s first-person voice as she speaks to the job counselor is undeniable…A poignant portrait of one fallible, wise woman and a corner of one of New York’s most vibrant immigrant communities.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A tender and quintessentially American portrait.”
—Publishers Weekly
—Amazon Books
“This fast read celebrates the resilience of immigrant communities.”
—Apple Books
“Brilliantly illustrat[es] the importance of telling one’s story.”
—Ms. Magazine
“An absolute masterpiece—where to begin? I could tell you about this novel’s innovative structure, its riveting story, its glorious and hilarious voice, its satisfactions as a page-turner, or its exquisite poetics that draw on immigrant brilliance. I could tell you it’s a stunning exploration of survival, queerness, family, resilience, and the possibilities forged by love. All of that is true. This book is a miracle; prepare to be astonished.”
—Carolina De Robertis, author of Cantoras and The President and the Frog
“Absolutely gorgeous. I’m head over heels in love with and moved by Cara Romero. This book is full full full, holding so much life with an effervescent light touch. One of my favorite books I have read in years.”
—Quiara Alegria Hudes, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter of In the Heights
“Angie Cruz’s luminous new novel introduces us to the irresistible Cara Romero. An older immigrant worker whose life was upended by the recession of 2008, she offers up a funny, smart, engaging handbook to survival (work, love, children, familia) in a crazily changing world. Personally, I think Cara should have her own talk show!”
—Cristina Garcia, author of Dreaming in Cuban
“Continuously surprising…Stupendous. The voice comes alive with such immediacy in this formally inventive novel. I loved every page of it.”
—Idra Novey, author of Those Who Knew
“Poignant and lovely and wonderful. I read it in one sitting and will read it again. Angie Cruz is a genius.”
—Jennifer Croft, Man Book International-winning translator and author of Homesick
“So good. Wow. I’ve laughed so much already. Cara is hands down becoming one of my favorite characters. This is a page-turner for sure.”
—Saraciea Fennell, editor of Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed
“Write this down: Cara Romero is going to steal your heart. Such a beautiful, funny, tender, and empowering story. And what a nuanced portrayal of motherhood.”
—Cleyvis Natera, author of Neruda on the Park
“You will love, yes, love and identify with this brilliantly written story. We are all Cara Romero.”
—Kianny Antigua, award-winning translator of Dominicana
Read The New York Times Review of HOW NOT TO DROWN IN A GLASS OF WATER
Read The Los Angeles Times Review of HOW NOT TO DROWN IN A GLASS OF WATER
Read The Washington Post Review of HOW NOT TO DROWN IN A GLASS OF WATER
Read Publishers Weekly review of HOW NOT TO DROWN IN A GLASS OF WATER
Read the Kirkus Review of HOW NOT TO DROWN IN A GLASS OF WATER
Read The Flatiron Reading Group Guide for HOW NOT TO DROWN IN A GLASS OF WATER
Read Elle’s “Shelf Life” Interview With Angie Cruz
Listen To The Angie Cruz On The Kirkwood Public Library Podcast
Featured In The Washington Post‘s “10 NOTEWORTHY BOOKS FOR SEPTEMBER”
Featured In The New York Times‘ “18 BOOKS COMING IN SEPTEMBER”
Featured In BookRiot’s “September 2022 Horoscopes & Book Recommendations”
Featured In PopSugar‘s “The Best New Books of 2022 So Far”
Featured In AARP’s “45 Of The Fall’s Best New Books”
Featured In Goodreads “60 Upcoming Books the Goodreads Editors Can’t Wait to Read”
Featured In OprahDaily’s “18 Must-Read Books By Latinx Authors”
Featured In WNYC’s “Books For Hispanic Heritage Month”, Recommended by Leslie-Ann Murray
Featured In Al Dia’s “Top 5 Books For College Students”
Featured In The Week’s “10 Books To Read in Honor of Hispanic Heritage Month”
Featured In Buzzfeed’s “40 Books By Latine Authors Releasing This Year”
Featured in Amazon’s Best Books Of September
Winner of An Audiofile Earphones Award
One of The New York Times‘ “18 BOOKS COMING IN SEPTEMBER”
One of The Washington Post‘s “10 Noteworthy Books For September”
One of Good Morning America’s “15 Anticipated Books for September”
Angie Cruz is the author of the novels Soledad and Let It Rain Coffee, and Dominicana, which was short-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and a Good Morning America Book Club pick. She has published short fiction and essays in magazines and journals, including The New York Times, VQR, and Gulf Coast Literary Journal. She has received numerous grants and residencies including the New York Foundation of the Arts Fellowship, Yaddo, and The Macdowell Colony. She is a founder and the editor in chief of Aster(ix), a literary and arts journal, and is an associate professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh.