ACROSS THE NARROWS

A mother and daughter are ripped apart in Burns’ novel of family strife.

It’s 1924 in New York City when Ruby Farrar del Palacio gives birth to her sixth child, a beautiful little girl—but the baby, who will be named Faith, dies during delivery. When Ruby’s Colombia-born husband, Juan, finally arrives at the hospital, Ruby narrates, “His face revealed not even a hint of kindness. Or sadness.” His indifference sets the stage for the sad narrative. Ruby decides that Faith will be her last child, but a year later she has another daughter, named Alice. Ruby and Juan, whose families are prominent in Brooklyn society, are locked in a loveless marriage. By 1930, Ruby knows she can no longer live with her dismissive, authoritarian husband, nor abide her judgmental mother-in-law, who regularly descends upon the del Palacio household to manage it as she sees fit. Confident in her decision—their large Brooklyn home is in her name, a wedding present from her parents—she tells Juan she’s filing for separation.He smirks, predicting she’ll wind up on a bread line; Ruby has no idea of the cruel lengths to which Juan will go to exact his revenge. Alternating chapters follow the stories of Ruby and Alice, a mother and daughter separated from one another for almost half a century. Ruby narrates her own tale in a voice filled with pain and melancholy, but also sharp wit. Once Alice’s story begins to dominate the novel, significant portions of Ruby’s life remain a mystery for lengthy passages of time. Alice’s life, affected by the longing and anger that set in when she was a young child denied the comfort of her mother, unspools through third-person narration, which is compelling but emotionally less dramatic than Ruby’s. Burns is a skillful wordsmith who vividly captures the details of the social milieu and extraordinary legal misogyny of the period. Despite an accumulation of tragedies that stray across the line into melodrama, Burns has delivered an addictive read.

Poignant and engaging, with strong female characters.