Elle’s Review of Weep, Woman, Weep by Maria DeBlassie
Weep, Woman, Weep
Maria DeBlassie
Sometimes you need the kind of that book that sweeps you into the story, and keeps you from wanting to let go. Weep, Woman, Weep is that kind of story. Told from the POV of Mercy, this short book is about La Llorona, generational trauma, and the desire to escape the strongholds of your past.
Life is full of sorrows for the women in Sueño, New Mexico. La Llorona stalks the nearby river, and claims any girl who comes too close, baptising and marking them. Mercy survives an encounter with La Llorona, but her best friend is lost, changing into the type of woman both girls promised they wouldn’t turn into. Mercy, however, is determined not to let La Llorona win, and against the whisperings of the town and the seemingly bad luck that plagues her, she is determined to live her life on her own terms.
There’s a really lovely fairy tale/storyteller quality to this, and Maria DeBlassie does a great job with making you feel like Mercy is talking directly to you. The novella feels almost designed to be read out loud, and it matches well with the themes and plot.
I loved Mercy. It’s the type of POV that really stands out because you become so immersed in it, and eager to see Mercy escape La Llorona’s clutches. And there’s an element of bending reality, too – is La Llorona a real, physical threat, or is she Mercy’s manifestation of something else? Because of the intimacy of the POV, it’s honestly hard to tell, but it feels deliberate and works really well. Mercy and her best friend quickly grow apart, and Mercy discovers her own kind of power, one that could cause a great deal of harm, and she goes out of her way to stop it from doing so.
Weep, Woman, Weep deals with generational trauma, but specifically looking at the impact on women such as Mercy, who removes herself to the edges of society to escape the same fate she’s others succumb to. It’s about toxic mothers and mothers who will do anything to protect their children, and it’s about the way a white, patriarchal society forces itself on everyone.
Above all, it’s an evocative, impactful book, and one that’ll linger in my head for a long time to come.
Review by Elle Turpitt
Twitter & Instagram: @elleturpitt
I received this ebook from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley for review consideration.