Review Detail

‘The Girl with No Sol’ by Karen Vega follows main character Kalamiti Sol as she navigates her life on the streets, in high school, and with her friends and family. She learns that bad decisions don’t necessarily have to equate to bad outcomes. Having a support system and trying to do what’s right even when what’s wrong is staring her in the face is part of what makes life’s struggles worth it.

Even though everything was not perfectly resolved by the end of the story, the themes were very clear and made the story a journey of its own. Of course, resolution is not always present in real life, and this makes the story resonate all that much more with its readers. Kalamiti’s life is not so simple, and the blossoming and growing she does throughout the novel proves useful as she deals with all of the changes that come her way.

Kalamiti has a number of close relationships throughout the story, including with her friend, Lucas, and her grandmother, Nonna. The way that her friendship with Lucas grows into mutual admiration and caring for each other is quite beautiful to watch transpire, and Nonna’s care and acceptance of Kalamiti despite her past hardships growing up on the streets is a testament to her love for her granddaughter. While she does ensure that Kalamiti has boundaries and restrictions in place due to her past run-ins with the law and her time spent without any adult supervision, it is all done out of a sense of care, not obligation. The various relationships provide Kalamiti with different forms of motivation and goodness, and sometimes even hurt, but there are poignant moments that stem from it all, along with upset and aggravation.

The characters in the story are well-drawn and Kalamiti does a nice job telling her story and sharing her truth. The title also works well. The symbolism of “sol” vs. “soul” and how those two ideas were present throughout the novel made sense based on her internal and external struggles in life. Her time spent gardening in the novel helps her to make sense of the parts of her life in which she feels something is missing. Her growth and sense of self are well-developed as she tells her story and learns who she is and what she stands for beyond anything she has previously known.