Hailstones Fell without Rain (Natalia Figueroa Barroso, UQP)

Hailstones Fell without Rain is a rich, multi-generational debut that spans two continents and three generations, exploring memory, identity and the quiet revolutions of everyday women. In this semi-autobiographical familial story buoyed by historical realism, Australian-Uruguayan Natailia Figueroa Barroso illuminates the lives of three generations: Graciela (Grachu), her daughter Rita and her great-aunt Chula. Each woman navigates trauma, secrets and shame while trying to protect their family legacy. The novel begins slowly, then unravels at a breakneck speed, moving beautifully in three distinct sections – from the cement pavements of Fairfield and Liverpool in Western Sydney to the potholed roads of 1970s Uruguay and present-day Montevideo, Uruguay. Figueroa Barroso brings a vital new voice to the literary landscape. Her writing sparks conversations about what it means to consider home and hold pain and love while still hoping for a better world. She tells this story in a factual and overt writing style, with historical references stuffed throughout the novel like fillings in the warm, crispy empanadas her characters prepare. Hailstones Fell Without Rain is an ode to working-class womanhood, motherhood and the enduring strength of blood and heart ties. It will resonate with those who enjoyed Randa Abdel-Fattah’s Does My Head Look Big in This and Zoya Patel’s Once A Stranger as a critical examination of a unique diasporic experience.  

Books+Publishing reviewer: Raveena Grover is a writer, photographer and creative director. Raveena’s art focuses on creating and exploring the beauty, strength and realities of experiences of people of colour as a Panjabi woman. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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