Next Year in Havana

“Montesquieu said that an empire born in war must maintain itself by war.”

Cuba- 1958

Elisa Perez, a sugar heiress, falls in love with a revolutionary. But, their lives are so far removed from one another the relationship is one that seems doomed from the start. Sure enough, she and Pablo are separated, and Elisa’s family fled to America, never to return to their beloved Cuba.

Fast forward to 2017-

“When I was younger, I begged my grandmother to tell me about Cuba. It was a mythical island, contained in my heart, entirely drawn from the version of Cuba she created in exile in Miami and the stories she shared with me. I was caught between two lands- two iterations of myself- the one I inhabited in my body and the one I lived in my dreams.”

Marisol’s grandmother dies and to honor her last wishes, Marisol smuggles her ashes into Cuba. But, arriving in Cuba is only the beginning of her adventure. She must pick the perfect spot to spread her grandmother’s ashes, so that end, she touches base with Elisa’s best friend, hoping to gain some insight. This is how she meets Luis, who escorts her around the city and helps her play amateur detective as she searches for Pablo, the love of Elisa’s life.

However, Luis’s job as a professor has him under scrutiny and Marisol has been watched since she first stepped foot in Cuba. They begin to fall in love, playing a very dangerous game with their futures and maybe even their lives. Eventually they will face a heartbreaking fork in the road where they will both have to make the most difficult choice of their lives.

My oh my did this story take my breath away! Talk about a story that was absolutely amazing!! It’s epic, grand, sweeping, emotional, and heart wrenching.

I do not think I have the ability to express how much I was moved by Elisa’s story, and the impact her life as a whole had on me. There’s so much to it, so much heart, soul and passion that leaped off the page, and I was swept away at every moment.

I had some idea what to expect going into this story. When we lived in Florida we had the best neighbors anyone could ask for and they were refugees from Cuba. From them and their extended family, I learned a lot about Cuban history during the revolution, and the terror and horror that followed as Castro took control of the island.

I loved getting to know the characters and how the political situation in Cuba formed not only the characters and their families, but the citizens in Cuba itself.

The historical aspect was beyond fascinating, and Cleeton did a perfect job holding my attention, because politics can be complex and hard to grasp at times. But, the political commentaries were told with so much ease and understanding, and not only one narrative was pushed. Both political sides of the aisle were explained. Every angle was looked at and I couldn’t stop thinking. I loved getting to know even more of what Cuba was going through during such a tumultuous time period and seeing how that shaped the people and the culture.

“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 pleasure.”

Now I want to read everything Chanel Cleeton writes!

If you are looking for an eye opening historical fiction read or a great book club read (obviously since Reese chose it) please pick up this book.