Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

I recently was talking with a friend about memories-the good, the bad, the forgotten – and our conclusion was that often, one can remember the one bad part and overlook the sixteen good parts.  Funny how that is.  And unfortunate.  With extended family, I really like to pass the best memories on to our children: shine the best light on each other.

And so it goes in Next Year in Havana.  Marisol is headed to Cuba from Coconut Grove to sprinkle her grandmother’s (Elisa) ashes, and meet Ana, Elisa’s best friend from childhood.  A travel writer, Marisol decides to squeeze in an article or two for the magazine while she is away.  When she arrives in Havana, she is picked up by Ana’s grandson Luis, who becomes both her guide for the week and a love interest.  Figuring out where to spread Elisa’s ashes means Marisol must peel back the layers of Elisa’s story and her love affair with Pedro before she and her family flee to Florida during the change in power between Batista and Castro.

The novel is told from Marisol’s present day point of view, and the view of Elisa back in 1952.  Amidst the family history, Cleeton shares the physical beauty of Cuba and the courage and fear so prominent during the revolution.  The romances in each decade mirror each other, further demonstrating the challenges of these clandestine affairs.

Next Year in Havana is somewhat autobiographical; Chanel Cleeton writes what she knows.  I learned more about Cuba, grew to understand the courage needed to raise and protect a family, to fall in love, and to leave what you love to survive.  The expat memories from Florida are romanticized, but done so to respectfully preserve the memories of a generation and to honor a heritage that, though tied to the land, lives on wherever her descendants settle.  If you like historical fiction with a little amorous enchantment, head south with Next Year in Havana.