Of Women and Salt

Jeanette is fighting addiction in Miami now. The daughter of a Cuban immigrant named Carmen, she decides on the spur of the moment to take in the daughter of a neighbour who has been imprisoned by ICE because she is keen to find out more about her family history from her reserved mother. While attempting to raise a wayward Jeanette, Carmen, who is still dealing with the pain of being uprooted, has to process her tough connection with her own mother. Unwavering in her pursuit of comprehension, Jeanette visits her grandmother in Cuba and faces long-forgotten mysteries that are about to come to light.

Gabriela Garcia's Of Women and Salt is a kaleidoscopic depiction of betrayals—personal and political, self-inflicted and those done by others—that have defined the lives of these amazing women, from 19th-century cigar factories to contemporary detention centres, from Cuba to Mexico. This is more than a narrative of the diaspora; it's a story of America's most convoluted, honest, human origins. It's a disturbing reflection on the decisions made by moms, the legacy of the memories they carry, and the perseverance of women who choose to speak their stories against those who seek to silence them.