Book set in Cuba – Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Submitted: 20th March 2019

A Reese Witherspoon book club pick

A novel from which the aroma of the sugar plantations can be tasted of every page. This Book set in Cuba – Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton is a story of a wealthy sugar owning families on the island of Cuba in the late 1950s. Life here is not easy despite the wealth that sugar and rum have brought to the island. For the people of Cuba are in the grips of a despot. It may be the final months of Batista’s rule but already revolution is bubbling away and ready to explode. A certain Che Guevara and Fidel Castro are plotting….

Then the story takes us to 2017 and the consequences of what happened back then…..

BookTrail Travel to the locations in Next Year in Havana

#Bookreview

Susan: @thebooktrailer

I studied Spanish and the Cuban revolution at university. How I wish I’d had this book then as it transports you heart and soul to the island at the revolution. This is not a novel of politics although much is explained. It’s a love story between people and between exiled Cubans and their homeland and it’s a very emotional read.

We learn of the two sides of the revolution from the rich Perez family who own a sugar plantation and are forced to flee as revolution comes to the island. Imagine being forced to leave your homeland, your life and everything you’ve ever known because of a despot named Batista?

Che Guavara and Fidel Castro are calling their followers to bear arms and take over political control. Things look grim and everything in unstable. The fear and uncertainty during this time is heartbreaking to read about but the author does it with style and care. She is from Cuba herself and she writes from the heart.

The second side to the story is a young girl whose family is Cuban but how now lives in Miami. She returns to her homeland having never been to Cuba as her grandmother wants her ashes scattered there. This is where we are immersed into that longing, that desire to live in your homeland that maybe we can’t understand but can imagine. The pull to a home you are forced to flee is stronger than anything else. I felt so sad during these parts of the story but the two threads, when pulled together form a strong, emotional and heart-wrenching story.

Marisol’s heart lies on the island and her journey is fascinating to go on with her. It felt like an honour to follow her around and I wanted to hug her on more than one occasion. I have been to Florida and the southernmost point, from where you can see Cuba a mere 90 miles away. I remember feeling how near but yet so far this country is for many.

What is particularly brilliant, is that the two sides of the story receive equal care and attention and as I read from one to the other, a strong picture of Cuba and its people began to emerge. It’s a stunning read and for people who know nothing of Cuba and the struggle, a glorious introduction. If you understand a bit more, it’s a further and unique insight to banish any preconceptions.

Works on every level. Reese Witherspoon made a good choice picking this one for the bookclub. It deserves to get maximum attention.

And there’s even more good news! The next book from this author When We Left Cuba is out in April!