Her Mother’s Mother’s Mother and Her Daughters follows a Brazilian family’s lineage from the arrival of the Portuguese armada in 1500 to the present day. The narrative is told by a seemingly all-knowing narrator who delves into the stories of her ancestors, particularly focusing on the women of the family. These women, with diverse backgrounds and experiences, include medicine women, artists, slaves, cattle farmers, poets, and politicians. They come from varied ethnicities such as indigenous, West African, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and mixed heritage, showcasing the complexity of their identities. The book highlights that one’s essence is shaped not just by genetics but also by their surroundings and the events unfolding in their lives, especially in the vibrant setting of Brazil.
The original Portuguese version of Her Mother’s Mother’s Mother and Her Daughters was first published in Brazil in 2002. This debut novel by Silveira paved the way for six more books and three plays. Silveira’s own life, similar to the character Ligía in the book, was impacted by the military rule in Brazil. Accused of “subversive activities,” she and her husband had to go into hiding and were eventually exiled to Peru, only returning to Brazil in 1976, where she now resides in São Paulo.
Interwoven with the characters’ personal stories are centuries of historical events accurately depicted by Silveira. The racial narrative of Brazil plays a significant role in each generation’s experiences. The novel masterfully portrays the racial dynamics, such as the indigenous character Sahy becoming a slave, reflecting on her captivity with a dream of a weakened jaguar, mirroring her own loss of strength and beauty. Silveira’s treatment of race echoes works like Edwidge Danticat’s The Farming of Bones, which engages with racial tensions in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Silveira merges individual narratives with significant historical moments, appealing to both history enthusiasts and character analysts.
Translator Eric M. B. Becker, recipient of the 2014 PEN/Heim Translation grant, delivers a remarkable translation. By retaining Brazilian terms like “emboaba” and “cafuzo,” Becker ensures English readers grasp the cultural nuances within the text. The narrative maintains a casual, ethereal tone, as if the stories are being shared among friends. Each character possesses a unique voice, emotions, and rhythm, contributing to the novel’s overall musicality. While some syntax may seem unconventional, it enhances the text’s auditory quality.
Her Mother’s Mother’s Mother and Her Daughters offers a multitude of individual journeys within one family’s lineage, portraying a fraction of Brazil’s rich history spanning five centuries. Each woman’s tale provides a distinctive perspective, enriching the historical narrative one story at a time. The book balances profound sadness and resilience among its characters. As the narrator succinctly states:
There have always been all kinds of men and women, weak and strong, craven and gullible, intelligent and limited, good and bad, powerful and impotent. But you all can be certain of one thing: the women who lived in the vast, unforgiving, magnificent backlands in the early centuries of this country’s history could be many things—but silly and fragile they were not.
