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A review by rachel2g
The Island of Eternal Love by Daína Chaviano
5.0
I loved so many things about this book, but the one I keep coming back to is the sheer audacity of it. The structure, which alternates between a three-part historical saga that converges on Cuba, and a modern-day investigation into a ghost house that appears throughout Miami, may sound absolutely bananas, but Chaviano deftly handles the strands of the story so that each builds on the resonance of the others. It’s an incredible feat of magical realism and one of my favorite novels by a Cuban author.
I also want to highlight the incredible translation on the part of Andrea G. Labinger. I’m a Cuban-American Spanish speaker, and so many times, I found myself reading the English words with the Spanish running in the background. The Cuban Spanish was perfectly transfigured into an English that captured all the nuances of the language.
I also want to highlight the incredible translation on the part of Andrea G. Labinger. I’m a Cuban-American Spanish speaker, and so many times, I found myself reading the English words with the Spanish running in the background. The Cuban Spanish was perfectly transfigured into an English that captured all the nuances of the language.