Last updated on October 6, 2020
Next Year in Havana is a novel by Chanel Cleeton. If you’d like to know how the story ends, please also check out this post.
The book starts in Havana, Cuba, in 1959. The story begins from the perspective of Elisa. To be more precise, it starts at the airport, as the Perez family flee their home to escape Castro. The Perez family were part of the wealthy class, with ties to Batista. They are no longer safe once Castro is in power.
The Perez family leaves Cuba as a family of 6, the parents and four sisters. They are not allowed to take any of their valuables, only one suitcase each. They’re leaving everything behind, and hope that they will be able to come back to Cuba in a few years.
Then and Now
Many years later, in 2017, Marisol Perez travels to Cuba. Her trip has several purposes, but it takes on a different cadence with two, major, unexpected occurrences. Marisol falls in love and she discovers a family secret.
Most of the book takes places in 1958, 1959 and 2017. We travel back and forth between Cuba as it was while the Perez family lived there, and the current conditions after years under Fidel Castro.
Through the story, we learn some of the history of Cuba, particularly the politics. Politics is integrated in Cuban life since the government controls everything, and the regime acts decisively against threats. Will Marisol’s visit stir up trouble and put her hosts into danger?
Cuba and the Diaspora
We get a glimpse of the Cuban diaspora, the exiles living in Miami. The presentation in this book is a bit narrow as the Perez family is wealthy, living in opulent surroundings and able to charter a plane. They were wealthy in Cuba, and although they had to live the country without any of their valuables, their sugar company nationalized by Castro, they had investments out of the country as well.
Parallels Between Past and Present
In Next Year in Havana, there is an parallel between the stories in the past and the present. Will history repeat itself or can the current generation find a way to change the outcome?
Final Verdict
This book reminds me of my visit to Cuba. I visited in February, 2017, and so many of the images shared in this book resonate with me. I remember going into a grocery store and seeing mostly empty shelves, and then visiting another well-stocked grocery store, where the items had prices in the convertible currency. Next Year in Cuba provides a history of Cuba and a picture of live in Cuba in 2017. I found it interesting and was emotional in parts.
I enjoyed the story but it also seems to be more than a story, to have a political stance, a perspective that it wants readers to get. The author makes this explicit on several occasions in the writing. It’s not unusual for authors to do this within the context of fiction when politics is a factor in how events turn out. I’m always torn when this happens; I can infer the message without the author stating it explicitly. I understand the urge to want to tell the story completely, to leave nothing to chance. On the other hand, it’s not so bad to leave some things unsaid, to let the reader fill in the blanks. There’s no right way or wrong way, only individual preference.
In Next Year in Havana, the loose ends are mostly tied up. There is also a sequel, Beatriz’s story, so to be continued…
I first though I would give this book 3 stars, but I think that would be punishing the author for making choices that I wouldn’t necessarily make. If a book speaks to me and makes me cry, it deserves 4 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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