Jessica Russo knows nothing about her mother's family or her Cuban culture. Every time she's asked about it, her mother has shut down. But when the Cuban grandmother she's never met sends her right-hand man, Luis, to offer Jessica the chance to come to Miami and meet her estranged family, she can't help but say yes, even as she knows it will pain her mother.
The woman that Jessica meets is nothing like what she expected. Her grandmother is successful, intelligent, determined, and all too willing to take blame for what has happened to cause the estrangement, and, more importantly, to try and set things right. As Jessica spends time with her grandmother in her beautiful island home, she learns about her family's history and what caused the schism between her mother and grandmother.
As days with her grandmother turn to weeks, Jessica is determined to find a way to heal her fractured family. And in the end, Jessica might just learn something about herself and what it means to embrace the many facets of her identity.
PJ's Thoughts:
During the years I lived in SW Florida, I had many friends and co-workers whose families had escaped to the U.S. from Cuba. Their feelings about their allegiance to their homeland, the (often successful) lives they had left behind, the struggles of learning a new language while forging a new life in a strange country where they were often not welcomed, and their expectations for their children and grandchildren were understandably complex and multi-layered. Pineiro captures all that and more in her poignant and realistic portrayal of a fractured, Cuban-American family in The Family She Never Met.
I was immediately intrigued by these characters and the mysterious estrangement that had caused Jessica to grow up knowing nothing of her mother's family in Miami nor the trials they had endured in the past. Pineiro skillfully guides the reader through their journey, using brief flashbacks at strategic points to fill in the blanks of their family's saga while at the same time allowing the reader to get to know the characters in the present day. It gave me the opportunity to understand these characters fully, to experience their flaws, fears, mistakes, and motivations. It made them more real to me, their circumstances more compelling, and in the case of Jessica's mother, the anger stemming from her childhood more understandable. I appreciated the fact that the author took her time with them, not giving them easy fixes but letting the characters evolve organically, allowing forgiveness and healing to come slowly, realistically.
I also enjoyed the depiction of Jessica's father's Italian-American family in New York, characters who have been instrumental in guiding her life since she was born. The dichotomy between the two sides of her family clearly showing that no two immigrant experiences are alike.
While this book is centered around the multiple generations of women in Jessica's family, there is also a strong romantic thread with a happy ending that is an integral part of Jessica's journey, not only bringing love into her life but also helping her to more completely understand both the challenges and expectations placed upon the Cuban exiles within and outside of her family.
After you finish the book, take a minute to read the author's note. It explains how Caridad Pineiro was able to create characters and a story with so much authenticity and heart. Knowing her own family's history made reading this book an even richer experience.
This sounds like a really good book. Adding it to my to read list.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely sounds like something I would enjoy. I know of the author but have not read her as yet.
ReplyDeleteI live in an area of the country where people are coming here from other countries and working to become assimilated. I can see how difficult it would be.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wonderful review and an introduction to another author I do not know.
Hope everyone is well and safe and happy.
This sounds like a wonderful book. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI have read several of Caridad Pineiro's books and enjoyed them. My husband's mother lived in Florida and her best friend, and eventually one of ours, was from a family that escaped Castro's Cuba. They were well to do Cubans who lost everything when they escaped to this country. They had to start over, but were hard workers and managed to make comfortable lives for themselves. That generation is gone, but their children and grandchildren have built on their success and become even more successful. I look forward to reading her depiction of this experience and her family's story.
ReplyDeleteI have read several of Caridad Pineiro's books and enjoyed them. My husband's mother lived in Florida and her best friend, and eventually one of ours, was from a family that escaped Castro's Cuba. They were well to do Cubans who lost everything when they escaped to this country. They had to start over, but were hard workers and managed to make comfortable lives for themselves. That generation is gone, but their children and grandchildren have built on their success and become even more successful. I look forward to reading her depiction of this experience and her family's story.
ReplyDelete