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A review by mochagirl
The Island of Eternal Love by Daína Chaviano
4.0
The Island of Eternal Love by Daina Chaviano centers on Cecilia, a Miami journalist, who after having migrated during the 1994 Cuban exodus is experiencing bouts of homesickness and depression. At the insistence of friends, she is reluctantly dragged along for a night out and meets an old woman in the back of the club who commences to tell her life story to Cecilia. Finding more interest in the old woman's story than the club scene, Cecilia anxiously returns on a regular basis to hear the next episode in the soap opera-like saga. Therein, the history of Cuba unfolds in the old woman's rendering of an enchanting multi-generational love story.
The reader is transported back to China and follows the migration of a young, hopeful Chinese family to the island and learns of the survival, assimilation, and racial challenges that ensue. The Spanish conquerors and the enslaved Africans are represented in their historical context and the comingling of the races is inevitable and evident in the colorful landscape of Cubans today. What also emerges is the manifestation of curses, superstitions, and mythical lore evidenced in segments where a mischievous imp torments the chosen women of one family for generations and a mysterious phantom house randomly that appears throughout Little Havana, which ironically (or perhaps it is fate) becomes Cecilia's assignment at the newspaper where she is a reporter. The author eventually bridges the significance of the house, the disjointed family saga, and Cecelia's angst to wrap up the novel nicely.
This was my first time reading Chaviano and I chose to read it based on the synopsis, which hinted at a cross-cultural tale that explored the African, Chinese and Spanish ancestry of the Cuban people. While all three cultures were mentioned, I honestly expected more in regards to the African cultural contribution but the novel tended to focus more on the Chinese and Spanish influences - which is fine, I just expected an equal presentation or representation of the tri-cultures. Nonetheless, the novel is a wonderful blend of myth, fantasy, and speculative fiction - it is a refreshing departure from the "norm" for those who can use their imaginations and open their minds to the concepts of predestined love, the influences of the supernatural on the living, and appreciate an alternative approach toward historical fiction
The reader is transported back to China and follows the migration of a young, hopeful Chinese family to the island and learns of the survival, assimilation, and racial challenges that ensue. The Spanish conquerors and the enslaved Africans are represented in their historical context and the comingling of the races is inevitable and evident in the colorful landscape of Cubans today. What also emerges is the manifestation of curses, superstitions, and mythical lore evidenced in segments where a mischievous imp torments the chosen women of one family for generations and a mysterious phantom house randomly that appears throughout Little Havana, which ironically (or perhaps it is fate) becomes Cecilia's assignment at the newspaper where she is a reporter. The author eventually bridges the significance of the house, the disjointed family saga, and Cecelia's angst to wrap up the novel nicely.
This was my first time reading Chaviano and I chose to read it based on the synopsis, which hinted at a cross-cultural tale that explored the African, Chinese and Spanish ancestry of the Cuban people. While all three cultures were mentioned, I honestly expected more in regards to the African cultural contribution but the novel tended to focus more on the Chinese and Spanish influences - which is fine, I just expected an equal presentation or representation of the tri-cultures. Nonetheless, the novel is a wonderful blend of myth, fantasy, and speculative fiction - it is a refreshing departure from the "norm" for those who can use their imaginations and open their minds to the concepts of predestined love, the influences of the supernatural on the living, and appreciate an alternative approach toward historical fiction