Next Year In Havana by Chanel Cleeton {review}
02/07/2018
Next Year In Havana - Chanel Cleeton
My Review - 5 Stars
To be in exile is to have the things you love most in the world- the air you breathe, the earth you walk upon- taken from you. They exist on the other side of a wall- there and not- unaltered by time and circumstance, preserved in a perfect memory in a land of dreams. p. 16
If you enjoy past-present stories, if you're at all curious about Cuba, if you like your novels to come with a love story, you are going to need this book in your life.
Next Year In Havana is an immersive experience. I didn't know a great deal about Cuba prior to reading this but Cleeton brought the country and its people alive. From the scenery to the richly drawn characters, we are drawn further and further into the story. Or rather, both stories.
While officially Marisol travels to Cuba to write an article on tourism now that restrictions have eased, unofficially she's there on a journalist's visa to return her grandmother Elisa's ashes to her native country. Elisa's family left the country when Castro took over but they never thought Castro would stay in power or that they'd never be able to return. I can only imagine the heartbreak of leaving your home and then never being able to go back.
Upon Marisol's arrival, she meets Luis, the handsome professor grandson of her grandmother's best friend Ana. Through Ana and Luis, Marisol is able to see the Cuba from her grandmother's stories, as well as the Cuba of today. There may have been a revolution in 1959 but the Castro regime has not made things better.
As a character notes, revolutionaries dream of dying for their country, not governing it or figuring out what systems need to be in place or how to word the constitution. Without the necessary infrastructure, corruption and rigged elections become the norm. The disparity between the rich and the poor grows wider and those who left can never return.
This would have been a great story itself but Next Year In Havana is elevated by including Elisa's story as well. These intertwining stories introduce us to Cuba's history, its rise and fall, and its current struggles.
"We left, and we haven't been able to return, and we're stuck in stasis in the United States. Always waiting, always hoping, wondering, praying that we would wake up and see a headline on the news that Fidel had died, that the government had admitted this was a terrible mistake, that things will go back to the way they were. As exiles, that hope is embedded in the very essence of our soul, taught from birth—
'Next year in Havana'—
It's the toast we never stop saying, because the dream of it never comes true." p. 188
As Marisol and Luis spend time visiting her grandmother's favorites places in Havana, their connection grows and I loved watching their relationship. Similarly, as we flash back to 1958, we get to see a burgeoning relationship between wealthy girl Elisa and her revolutionary Pablo. I loved both of these love stories. The tensions and difficulties in both relationships do a great job of illustrating the problems Cuba faced then and now.
Just as Elisa didn't know how she could be with a revolutionary, it's no simple matter for Marisol and Luis to be together. Do they live in Cuba or the US? Is it possible for Luis to get a visa to come to the US? Do they have enough of a connection to take the risk?
As their relationship unfolds, Marisol digs deeper into the mystery of who her grandmother was while she lived in Cuba and why Elisa never told her granddaughter about her first love. This pushes the plot along and I was dying to know what had come of Pablo, as well as whether Luis and Marisol could overcome their differences or if the Cuban government would interfere. There are such high stakes—someone could lose their life and the dangers are very real—and I honestly had no idea what might happen.
"You never know what's to come. That's the beauty of life. If everything happened the way we wished, the way we planned, we'd miss out on the best parts, the unexpected pleasures." p. 255
We cover a lot of ground in this novel. Two love stories, two depictions of Cuba. It highlights what modern Cubans have undergone and it does not shy away from the US government's complicity in Cuba's plight. I learned a lot but I never felt like I was being taught. I was wrapped up in wonderfully written story.
I started reading Chanel Cleeton's novels a few months ago and I was impressed with her storytelling abilities in her contemporary romances. I was curious how women's fiction would be for her and she did not disappoint. This is her best work yet. I'm excited Cleeton will be continuing the story of the Perez sisters with Beatriz in When We Left Cuba. It's going to be so good!
Next Year In Havana is Chanel Cleeton's chance to shine a light on Cuba. It's her call for change and for the international community to take action. My heart goes out to the Cuban exiles and I hope someday soon they'll be able to say, "this year in Havana."
Bonus: Smart Podcast Trashy Books shared an interview with Chanel Cleeton for episode 284. I loved hearing more about the inspiration for the book and Cleeton's research and writing process!
Giveaway
Synopsis
After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity--and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution...
Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest--until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...
Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.
Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.
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Disclosure: I received an advance copy from Penguin/Berkley in exchange for an honest review. Affiliate links included in this post.