THE ETERNAL FOREST

Documenting a family’s complex relationship with Cuba.

Cuban American writer Sheppard describes herself, her mother, and her grandmother as a set of “Russian nesting dolls, sized by generation.” By this, she means that their histories are both vastly different and intensely intertwined. Sheppard’s grandmother, Rosita, grew up in Cuba. Although Rosita traces her heritage to Spain, by the time she was born her family had lived in Cuba for multiple generations. Rosita’s daughter, Margarita, is Sheppard’s mother. Rosita brought Margarita to the United States when Margarita was 8 years old and Margarita’s older sister was 15. The family fled because the new government considered their father, Rosita’s husband, Gustavo, “a sympathizer, anti-Castro, antirevolution, a threat.” Because Sheppard was born in the United States, she developed a complex relationship with her homeland that is equal parts curiosity and guilt. Similarly, her mother, Margarita, feels like she is “Ni de aquí, ni de allá / Neither from here, nor from there,” because her relationships with her birth and adopted countries are equally tenuous. Rosita, on the other hand, harbors a deep nostalgia for her homeland, which, Sheppard believes, she never intended to leave for good. To better understand the positionality of her mother, her grandmother, and herself, Sheppard excavates her family history, contextualizing the memories she uncovers within the island’s political history, which, in many ways, is Fidel Castro’s personal history. Sheppard’s narrative voice is both conversational and lyrical, and her love and curiosity for her family leaps off the page. While the book at times feels more descriptive than introspective, this is a fascinating read.

A Cuban American writer’s absorbing account of exile.