January 20, 2013

TOMORROW THEY WILL KISS by Eduardo Santiago



            The Cubans can be characterized individually by sympathy and
            intelligence, as group by yelling and passion. Every one of them carries
            The spark of genius, and geniuses do not mingle well. Consequently,
            reuniting Cubans is easy-uniting them impossible.
-Luis Aguilar Leon

Tomorrow They Will Kiss, through three very real female characters, substantiates even defines Mr. Leon's powerful observation.

The lives of the three women are set in 1960's New Jersey, where the immigrant women work in a toy factory. Their personalities both compliment and clash with one another. Their voices and choices are often both vicious and hilarious as they struggle to adapt and create new lives. The differences seem to fade into a self definition through their shared infatuation with the lives of television soap opera characters.

Eduardo Santiago
Eduardo expertly intertwines a fascinating look into Cuban history. He provides the reader with a rare interesting look into pre-Castro and post-Castro Cuba. I have long harbored a fascination with Cuban history and the dynamics surrounding it. Eduardo's depiction is by far the most enjoyable. His approach is honest, and raw, beautifully written by a fabulous author whom conveys a refreshing humbleness.



2 comments:

  1. Beautiful review of a book I enjoyed thoroughly...I couldn't possibly capture it as well as you did! Thank you for this...I am re-enjoying my favorite moments now. :)

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  2. Stellar review, stellar book! I had the privilege of being on a panel with Eduardo at the UCLA Extension Writers' Faire a couple of years back. He shared a lot of fabulous advice, especially about how he got started. My favorite was how he had polished ten short stories, which he sent to ten magazines a week. His goal was to always have skin in the game -- so when a rejection slip came, it wouldn't be overwhelming, because there were always so many more possibilities out there. That, and of course his incredible talent, sure paid off.

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Sammy Sutton