Loca
by Alejandro Heredia
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Junot Diaz's critically acclaimed collection Drown meets Janet Mock's Emmy-winning series Pose, "in this remarkable debut...capturing the heartbreak of queer youth, a woman's rebellion against the confines of motherhood, and, above all, the pain and power of friendship" (Adam Haslett, bestselling author of Imagine Me Gone).
It's 1999, and best friends Sal and Charo are striving to hold on to their dreams in a New York determined to grind them down. Sal is a book-loving science nerd trying to grow beyond his dead-end job in a new city, but he's held back by tragic memories from his past in Santo Domingo. Free-spirited Charo is surprised to find herself a mother at twenty-five, partnered with a controlling man, working at the same supermarket for years, her world shrunk to the very domesticity she thought she'd escaped in her old country. When Sal finds love at a gay club one night, both his and Charo's worlds unexpectedly open up to a vibrant social circle that pushes them to reckon with what they owe to their own selves, pasts, futures, and, always, each other.
Loca follows one daring year in the lives of young people living at the edge of their own patience and desires. With expansive grace, it reveals both the grueling conditions that force people to migrate and the possibility of friendship as home when family, nations, and identity groups fall short.
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781668050460
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Authors
- Alejandro Heredia
- Publisher
- Simon & Schuster
- Published Date
- February 11, 2025
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 352
- Physical Info
- 1.4 in H x 8.3 in L x 5.8 in W (0.9 lb)
I got to the end of this one & wished for a little more. I don’t require a happy ending to feel a story is complete but some happiness for these characters would have been nice. But maybe that’s life, finding happiness in progress & change
Beautiful story about Dominican friends navigating queerness, love, and family. I loved Charo's story about finding herself through a bad relationship and Sal being healed through a good relationship. This author writes so well, the characters were engaging and loved seeing a story set here in the Bronx.
3.5 stars rounded up✨What it is about:In 1999, best friends Sal and Charo leave the Dominican Republic for New York City, seeking freedom and healing. As they navigate love, trauma, and identity, they find belonging in a queer, intersectional community that helps them build the lives and family they’ve always wanted.✨💭My thoughts:As someone from the Dominican Republic, I’m always excited to read stories that reflect our culture. This book follows two friends, Charo and Sal, who migrate to the U.S. in search of freedom: Charo from traditional gender roles, and Sal as an openly gay man. But as they face their pasts, they realize self-discovery is more about returning to their roots than running from them.Growing up, no one could pronounce my name on the island. Charo was the closest they got, so it was fun to see that name in the book. The familiar island sayings and cultural details really took me back.Told across two timelines, we learn about Charo and Sal’s past, their deep connection, and the tragic event that drove Sal to leave the island. Though on completely different paths, the two friends support each other unconditionally, even without fully understanding each other’s struggles, forming a powerful chosen family bond that eventually endured across the distance.One thing to note is I felt the timeline transitions could have been a bit smoother at times, but overall, this was a well-crafted and moving story I enjoyed.3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️💫Read if you like:🏙️1990s New York City/ Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep.🏙️Authentic Dominican dialogue🏙️Identity exploration🏙️LGTBQ+ rep🏙️Complex character studies🏙️Immigrant stories⚠️CW: Homophobia, transfobia, death, gore, grief.
Alejandro Heredia’s Loca is a bold, unapologetic, and emotionally charged debut that delves into the complexities of queer identity, race, and trauma through a voice that is both poetic and raw. This novel is not afraid to confront uncomfortable truths, and it does so with a lyricism that lingers long after the final page.At its core, Loca is a coming-of-age story told through the eyes of a young, queer Afro-Latinx protagonist navigating life in the Bronx. The title character, Loca, is both a symbol and a person—fiery, fierce, broken, and beautiful. Her presence pulses with vulnerability and resistance, making her unforgettable. Heredia captures the nuances of community, pain, and survival in a world that often tries to erase queer Black and Brown lives.What makes Loca stand out is Heredia’s use of language—each sentence feels intentionally crafted, mixing prose with poetry, blending English with Spanish, creating a rhythm that feels like spoken word and memory colliding. The book doesn’t follow a conventional narrative arc; instead, it moves in fragments, echoing the way trauma is experienced and remembered. This form invites the reader into the messiness of grief, joy, love, and fury.While it may be emotionally heavy at times, Loca is also deeply affirming. Heredia doesn’t just tell a story—he creates space for voices that are too often silenced. It’s a novel that aches and burns, but also heals.Loca is essential reading for those who appreciate queer literature, experimental storytelling, and powerful explorations of identity and resilience. Alejandro Heredia is a writer to watch.
Máster story-telling with vivid language and scenes which come to life. The narrative brings forth the intricacies of NYC’s diverse communities and interactions among individuals of various walks of life. Heredia’s portrayal of the main characters’ search for identity and self discovery is done in vivid language and scenes that intertwine between life before NYC and while at the NYC of the turn of the century, 1999.
