An often-engaging novel about what it means to redefine the word home.
In Mendez’s novel based on a true story, a woman recounts her lavish life in Cuba and her subsequent move to Miami and the differences between the two cultures.
Marigrows up in an affluent and privileged family in Havana before the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s. They have a maid, chef, driver, bodyguards, and other luxuries awarded to the families of elite government officials; her father, Lorenzo Solano, is a cabinet member in the Batista government. As the youngest of three children, Mari feels like a bit of an outcast; she looks up to her two driven and talented older sisters, Lucia and Olivia, but always feels like she comes up short in comparison. Before her family’s move to Miami in 1959, after her father was exiled, Mari visited the United States on numerous occasions; every summer for a number of years, she and her sisters had attended a sleepaway camp in upstate New York. However, spending a few weeks in the tranquility of nature and living in cosmopolitan Miami, were two very different things—especially when Mari experienced a drastic lifestyle change in her new home. Yet, the family still has connections to their native land can never be completely severed. Mendez is a skilled writer and storyteller who conveys vivid, authentic moments while also advancing the narrative, as when Mari takes in the Miami scenery soon after her arrival: “I went outside to see the trees. I was happy when I saw a small palm tree. But it was nowhere near the size of our royal palm trees that lined the main avenues in Havana. This was a coconut palm tree. Everything here was smaller. My heart shrunk.” One wishes that the book spent more time in Cuba, which might have provided more direct insight into the changes that the main character experienced. However, it does address such historical events as the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion, in which Olivia’s husband, Tony, is involved, and the Cuban missile crisis.
An often-engaging novel about what it means to redefine the word home.Pub Date: April 14, 2023
ISBN: 9798985194630
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Beati Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf