This Could Be Us

Soledad is the chief protagonist and most frequent point-of-view narrator in the novel. When the novel opens, she is almost 40, has been with Edward for 18 years, and has been married for 16 years. Soledad worked to help put Edward through graduate school. Then, when they married, she devoted herself to taking care of their home and their three daughters. One of Soledad’s jobs was working at a hotel, where she realized that she enjoyed the hospitality industry, as it matched her impulses for bringing people comfort, nourishment, and happiness.

Physically, Soledad is a blend of her parents: her white father, who had red hair, and her mother, Catelaya, who was part Black and part Puerto Rican. Soledad describes her skin as a cinnamon gold color and her hair as springy curls. She is 5’4” and curvy. Soledad and her sisters spent their summers in Puerto Rico with their abuela, from whom Soledad learned recipes and some Spanish. She makes these heritage recipes as comfort food for her family—a tradition she wants to teach her daughters. For instance, she makes pasteles for Nochabuena, the traditional Christmas Eve for Spanish speakers around the word.

Soledad also had a close relationship with her mother, who died of cancer.