From 1866 to the present day, this is the story of 5 generations of women, beginning in the cigar factories of Cuba and extending to modern day Miami, Mexico and back again to Cuba. Our first glimpse into the past begins with Maria, the only female working in the cigar factory, and the reader who reads classic books to the employees as they work. When we shift the the present day, we meet Jeanette, who’s struggling to stay clean after rehab, and her mother Carmen, an immigrant from Cuba who fears for her daughter. From her window, Jeanette sees her neighbor taken away by ICE, with her daughter left behind. Jeanette takes the girl Ana in while trying to find her mother – an immigrant from El Salvador. From there, we meet Gloria after she arrives at the detention center and follow her journey to Mexico. We pick up again with Jeanette going to visit relatives in Cuba, and to try to figure out why her mother no longer speaks with her grandmother Dolores.
As we engage with each of these narratives, we’re given a glimpse into the ways that trauma impacts not just the people involved, but whole families and is passed down through generations. We see the immigrant experience from different perspectives, and the different situations that drive people to leave their homes in search of a new and better life. Most importantly, we see how these women, despite the abuse, war, violence and poverty, strive to leave the past behind and move forward to something better.
While this book is very powerful and very beautifully written, it was sometimes hard to follow the shift in the timeline. Don’t let that deter you from reading it though – you’ll want to take it slow anyway to digest everything and maybe take notes.
Posted in: BIPOC, Family saga, Literary Fiction