Three generations of fiercely strong and stubborn Mexican American women face grief head-on as they attempt to shed generational trauma and discover the true meaning of home in this lyrical novel that features magical realism in the tradition of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina and The House of the Spirits.
For generations, the Olivares women have sought to control their daughters’ destinies, starting with their names. In life, Olvido constantly clashed with her carefree daughter. Then teenage Angustias discovered she was pregnant and left her mother���s home in search of her own. Ten years later, Felicitas finally meets her estranged grandmother and is terribly disappointed when Olvido is nothing like a grandmother should be. She is strict, cold, and…dead.
Now, Olvido is convinced the only way her spirit will cross over is if she resolves her unfinished business—to make sure Angustias is in a better place regarding family, job, husband, and God, but maybe not in that order—and Felicitas is the only person who can see or hear her. Heartbroken about her mother’s passing and desperate to put Olvido’s tiny Texas home in her rearview mirror as quickly as possible, Angustias doesn’t understand why suddenly everyone in town seems to be conspiring to set her up with every eligible bachelor in town, offer her jobs, and invite her and Felicitas to church every Sunday.
As Olvido attempts to puppeteer her granddaughter to “fix” Angustias’s life from beyond the grave, Angustias tries desperately to find a better place for Felicitas, and Felicitas struggles to keep her ability to see the dead a secret from Angustias, all three Olivares girls are forced to learn how to actually listen to one another, to work to overcome generations’ worth of well-intentioned mistakes and learn the true definition of home.
Genre: Literary Fiction
For generations, the Olivares women have sought to control their daughters’ destinies, starting with their names. In life, Olvido constantly clashed with her carefree daughter. Then teenage Angustias discovered she was pregnant and left her mother���s home in search of her own. Ten years later, Felicitas finally meets her estranged grandmother and is terribly disappointed when Olvido is nothing like a grandmother should be. She is strict, cold, and…dead.
Now, Olvido is convinced the only way her spirit will cross over is if she resolves her unfinished business—to make sure Angustias is in a better place regarding family, job, husband, and God, but maybe not in that order—and Felicitas is the only person who can see or hear her. Heartbroken about her mother’s passing and desperate to put Olvido’s tiny Texas home in her rearview mirror as quickly as possible, Angustias doesn’t understand why suddenly everyone in town seems to be conspiring to set her up with every eligible bachelor in town, offer her jobs, and invite her and Felicitas to church every Sunday.
As Olvido attempts to puppeteer her granddaughter to “fix” Angustias’s life from beyond the grave, Angustias tries desperately to find a better place for Felicitas, and Felicitas struggles to keep her ability to see the dead a secret from Angustias, all three Olivares girls are forced to learn how to actually listen to one another, to work to overcome generations’ worth of well-intentioned mistakes and learn the true definition of home.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"There is something so charming and moving about the Olivares girls. My Mother Cursed My Name is an absorbing and magical debut about the bonds of family and forging one's path in the world... even if that means more than a little guidance from the ancestors." - Kali Fajardo-Anstine
"Magical, haunting, and joyful in all the best ways. A tender story about the invisible strings between generations of mothers and daughters. Salgado Reyes is one to watch out for, even from beyond the grave." - Carolyn Huynh
"My Mother Cursed My Name is a riveting and powerful story told by an incredibly important new voice. From the moment I read the first sentence, I couldn't put it down. At once moving and enthralling, the story examines generational trauma and healing through vividly alive characters making hard choices. Salgado Reyes pulls her readers through this key moment in her characters' lives with perfectly woven, rich prose. I've already told everyone I know to buy this book! This book is not just about magic - this book is magic." - Rachel Kapelke-Dale
"My Mother Cursed My Name is a heartfelt debut that sits at the intersection of Everything I Never Told You and The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina. Salgado Reyes has woven a moving story of three generations struggling to come together and confront their decades-long baggage with a little magic and a lot of meddling." - Bianca Marais
"Vivid, heartfelt, and dramatic, this is a gorgeously woven tale about three generations of a Mexican American mothers and daughters who are trying to survive their collective and individual grief. The familial love will stick with you long after you've finished it." - Mai Nguyen
"To read My Mother Cursed My Name is not just to feel entranced by the dynamics between three generations of Olivares women, but to care about them as if they were members of your own family. That is how alive they are on the page, and how skillfully Anamely Salgado Reyes depicts the abiding love that connects mother, daughter, and granddaughter despite the secrets and resentments that have kept them at a wary distance. An incredibly heartwarming and funny debut novel that is ideal for mothers and daughters to read and experience together." - Kirthana Ramisetti
"A powerful meditation on love and forgiveness with a lyricism that kept me spellbound. This novel explores the power of names and Anamely Salgado Reyes is a name to remember." - Steven Rowley
"My Mother Cursed My Name is a warm, witty and magical read about healing in order to forgive and forgiving in order to heal. Three generations of wildly different and fierce mothers and daughters tumbling toward a greater understanding of each other and themselves." - Parini Shroff
"A beautiful story woven with care from the fierce yet tender bonds of familial love, this entrancing novel burrowed its way into my heart, leaving me thoroughly charmed by the characters, writing, and concept. Like a grown up Encanto with a Gilmore Girls twist - what could be better?" - Marissa Stapley
"My Mother Cursed My Name is a powerful and heartfelt reflection on the love ancestors have for us, even in the afterlife. Incredibly written by Salgado Reyes, this is a spell-binding debut brimming with magic, secrets, and love that will stay with you long after the last page." - María Alejandra Barrios Vélez
"Magical, haunting, and joyful in all the best ways. A tender story about the invisible strings between generations of mothers and daughters. Salgado Reyes is one to watch out for, even from beyond the grave." - Carolyn Huynh
"My Mother Cursed My Name is a riveting and powerful story told by an incredibly important new voice. From the moment I read the first sentence, I couldn't put it down. At once moving and enthralling, the story examines generational trauma and healing through vividly alive characters making hard choices. Salgado Reyes pulls her readers through this key moment in her characters' lives with perfectly woven, rich prose. I've already told everyone I know to buy this book! This book is not just about magic - this book is magic." - Rachel Kapelke-Dale
"My Mother Cursed My Name is a heartfelt debut that sits at the intersection of Everything I Never Told You and The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina. Salgado Reyes has woven a moving story of three generations struggling to come together and confront their decades-long baggage with a little magic and a lot of meddling." - Bianca Marais
"Vivid, heartfelt, and dramatic, this is a gorgeously woven tale about three generations of a Mexican American mothers and daughters who are trying to survive their collective and individual grief. The familial love will stick with you long after you've finished it." - Mai Nguyen
"To read My Mother Cursed My Name is not just to feel entranced by the dynamics between three generations of Olivares women, but to care about them as if they were members of your own family. That is how alive they are on the page, and how skillfully Anamely Salgado Reyes depicts the abiding love that connects mother, daughter, and granddaughter despite the secrets and resentments that have kept them at a wary distance. An incredibly heartwarming and funny debut novel that is ideal for mothers and daughters to read and experience together." - Kirthana Ramisetti
"A powerful meditation on love and forgiveness with a lyricism that kept me spellbound. This novel explores the power of names and Anamely Salgado Reyes is a name to remember." - Steven Rowley
"My Mother Cursed My Name is a warm, witty and magical read about healing in order to forgive and forgiving in order to heal. Three generations of wildly different and fierce mothers and daughters tumbling toward a greater understanding of each other and themselves." - Parini Shroff
"A beautiful story woven with care from the fierce yet tender bonds of familial love, this entrancing novel burrowed its way into my heart, leaving me thoroughly charmed by the characters, writing, and concept. Like a grown up Encanto with a Gilmore Girls twist - what could be better?" - Marissa Stapley
"My Mother Cursed My Name is a powerful and heartfelt reflection on the love ancestors have for us, even in the afterlife. Incredibly written by Salgado Reyes, this is a spell-binding debut brimming with magic, secrets, and love that will stay with you long after the last page." - María Alejandra Barrios Vélez
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