"How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Most people know the immigrant journey is one filled with ups and downs. However, it is one thing to be aware of and entirely another thing to come face to face with the emotions of such a process. “How the García Girls Lost Their Accents” (1991) is a novel by Julia Alvarez that has a clear focus on this subject. 

My favorite thing about this work is the subtle portrayal of traumatic repression. The story is told in reverse, following the four García sisters from adulthood to childhood, all the way back before their relocation from the Dominican Republic. Each sister, as well as the parents, experiences unique traumas that influence the loss of their accents, which is explored from the end back to the beginning. This symbolizes the traumatic repression that can occur during such pivotal moments, as readers must unwind the past to understand the present. 

Speaking of symbols, it is worth noting that the loss of accents means much more in this work. It is not just about the way the girls speak; it is also connected to their loss of culture.

In becoming part of America, each sister feels she must change or lose part of herself. This cultural loss is a truly tragic element that impacted me deeply as I was reading. 

Each of the sisters is an interesting character. Their writing really distinguishes each one in a way I can appreciate, especially when they are depicted as adults. It is so clear from the jump how different yet similar they are, and those threads are woven throughout the text. This element is also helpful for anyone who gets confused with a lot of characters, as there is no wondering who is who. 

For all of the good emotional content and dynamic characters, one thing I did not appreciate in this work is how many things are left open-ended and unexplained. I think it is natural for readers to want to see things tied up nicely, and I most certainly wanted to see explanations for some of the events in this book. Yet, they never came. 

Alongside that issue, a lot of confusion happens in this reading because of the author’s writing style. While I can appreciate an interesting and unusual style of prose, this one was downright unintelligible at times. I think this is supposed to mimic the childlike misunderstandings and fears that are typical for kids, but as a reader, it was difficult to get to the main point. 

For anyone interested in picking up this book, I would warn you there is some potentially triggering content. The children of the story are placed in several sexual situations, and there are also heavy moments of emotional abuse. These are elements that contribute to the work as a whole but could be upsetting, so go into it prepared. 

“How the García Girls Lost Their Accents” is a fabulous text for anyone interested in looking at immigrant or mental health literature. That said, I found it lacking in many ways.

I feel the portrayal of immigrant experiences was wonderful, but the overall writing was not up to snuff. With those things in mind, I rate this book a 7 out of 10. 

Rating: 7/10