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A review by justinlife
Havana Blue by Leonardo Padura
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The beginning of a four part detective series set in Havana following the character, detective Mario Conde, suffers from a bad translation. The story is about a former classmate who goes missing and who's married to the woman that Conde, also known as The Count, had a crush on in high school. Because the missing person is a high ranking member who is responsible for big money and business, Conde has to find the person as soon as possible.
That's the plot and it's a slim one. What we get is a story that introduces us to Havana in the late 80s/early 90s. We see what life under Castro is like. We meet characters and personalities who are all trying to survive and find a way in this world. There's nostalgic moments from Conde's high school years, showing the new government and how the young people interact with it.
Padura does a great job of representing Cuba and Havana in a light that feels honest. The book feels more like a mood or rather the environment is more important to the story. Like we need to understand the place from his point of view before we can appreciate the story.
The book feels more like a character study than a detective novel. We see a man struggling with a career he didn't want. We see him struggle with loneliness, the future, the deprivation of society, his place in the government, and his insecurities.
We see Cuban society for what it is, not what it's either romanticized or demonized as. It's incredible in some ways that this made it out of Cuba b/c in my mind, it doesn't paint the best picture. Class still exists, corruption seems common, and the politics of Cuba (the government's watching each neighborhood) feels more oppressive than I thought. It's a bit refreshing. These topics are common in capitalist/democratic societies, so it's good to see it explored here.
Now to the translation. It's pretty bad. There are times where it feels like the person who translated it knows nothing of Cuban or Latin culture. There are things that are missed when translated exactly. For example, the terms "gordo" or "arroz con pollo". You wouldn't say "Fatman" or "chicken rice". You'd just say "Gordo" or "Arroz con pollo." People will know when reading what it is and what it means. It was super frustrating when reading. I would like to see this re-translated by someone like Edith Grossman. Someone who knows the culture and the language and knows how to make it come across.
Overall though, the book was interesting and when I got in it, it went by quickly.
That's the plot and it's a slim one. What we get is a story that introduces us to Havana in the late 80s/early 90s. We see what life under Castro is like. We meet characters and personalities who are all trying to survive and find a way in this world. There's nostalgic moments from Conde's high school years, showing the new government and how the young people interact with it.
Padura does a great job of representing Cuba and Havana in a light that feels honest. The book feels more like a mood or rather the environment is more important to the story. Like we need to understand the place from his point of view before we can appreciate the story.
The book feels more like a character study than a detective novel. We see a man struggling with a career he didn't want. We see him struggle with loneliness, the future, the deprivation of society, his place in the government, and his insecurities.
We see Cuban society for what it is, not what it's either romanticized or demonized as. It's incredible in some ways that this made it out of Cuba b/c in my mind, it doesn't paint the best picture. Class still exists, corruption seems common, and the politics of Cuba (the government's watching each neighborhood) feels more oppressive than I thought. It's a bit refreshing. These topics are common in capitalist/democratic societies, so it's good to see it explored here.
Now to the translation. It's pretty bad. There are times where it feels like the person who translated it knows nothing of Cuban or Latin culture. There are things that are missed when translated exactly. For example, the terms "gordo" or "arroz con pollo". You wouldn't say "Fatman" or "chicken rice". You'd just say "Gordo" or "Arroz con pollo." People will know when reading what it is and what it means. It was super frustrating when reading. I would like to see this re-translated by someone like Edith Grossman. Someone who knows the culture and the language and knows how to make it come across.
Overall though, the book was interesting and when I got in it, it went by quickly.