I have a major bone to pick with this book but I feel like it would be unfair to get to it before mentioning the clear merits and successes of the story and author. 

Carole Martinez uses the language masterfully. She’s weaving a beautiful tapestry, her words following thread and needle of our protagonist - Frasquita. Threads of the Heart features some of the most evocative language I have ever had the pleasure to read. 

Magical realism of the novel is truly magical. The abstract mingles with the mundane to create a beautiful tale of generational trauma, feminism and humanity. 

THAT SAID 

Threads of the Heart is a prime example of why every book should feature trigger warnings within the opening pages. I did not expect that I would have to brace a full page of explicit pedophilia. Why would you write that? And why would anyone want to read that? I’ve read my fair share of brutal and cruel stories but I can’t find a reason of why did we need an explicit description of that particular scene. 

It’s a story of a journey through an uncaring world with a glimmer of hope personified in some of its (mostly female) inhabitants. It’s brutal and crude at times but I wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t for the scene mentioned above. It poisoned my reading and I wasn’t able to enjoy the book past the infamous chapter. A shame.