The Cemetery of Untold Stories, by Julia Alvarez, falls within one of my favorite genres: magical realism. I loved the concept of a cemetery that doesn’t hold bodies, but rather contains all of the stories that people carry inside them that they’ve never told anyone before. To gain entry, a person stands in front of a speakerphone and tells whichever story they’ve been holding onto. Statues within the cemetery also speak to the caretaker of the space in a wonderful fantastical twist.

I loved Alvarez’s ability to interweave the magical elements within her story. But there were several aspects of this novel that affected my enjoyment level. I did feel like there were too many POVs, especially once the cemetery opens and the statues start talking. It was hard for me to keep everyone straight. I also had a hard time keeping the setting accurate in my mind. For some reason, I kept thinking that a lot of the action was taking place many, many years ago, despite the story actually taking place either within the last century or in current times.

Also, there was a lot of Spanish included in the book. Most of the time I love when other languages are sprinkled throughout a novel because it adds an authenticity that’s really effective. However, with this book, I kept having to pause to look up Spanish words because I wasn’t sure of their context within the sentences. It kept drawing me away from the story, instead of connecting me further to the characters.

There was also a scene of pretty graphic violence that occurred about halfway through the book that left me a little stunned. It seemed like the book’s vibe was a bit humorous at the beginning, so this tonal shift was difficult for me to process. It also involved a child, which was extremely tough to read.

I do love Alvarez’s way of constructing her characters, and her flow of writing is really beautiful. But the story felt fractured in some parts. I think I would have liked it better if the plot just focused on one or two main characters instead of the many that were included. This is the second book I’ve read by Alvarez, but I’m starting to think her books might not be for me.

3 stars

*Free ARC provided by Algonquin Books in exchange for an honest review*