Customer Reviews

Affinity for Trouble- A Puerto Rican Story

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is absolutely fabulous! Valera makes you feel as if you're living the character. You can smell the aroma of the food and remember the tastes; hear the melodic sounds of the "musica romantica"; and, feel as if you were part of this beautiful family with all its ups and downs. It's a must read for those of us who want to remember our past and culture and for those who want to learn more about the Puerto Rican people and their culture. Loved it and can't wait for the sequel...thank you Mr. Valera.

Hector's description of the surroundings, food and characters are so to the point that it takes you back to that time. His language is easy to comprehend and, thus, immerses you in the story, taking you through the life of this boy and his family, as if you were right there. Please continue the story going with a sequel. Thanks for a great book.

Although the author of Affinity for Trouble, a fictionalized autobiography by Héctor Varela, and I hail from Santurce, Puerto Rico, he has the distinction of possessing memories that I, having been raised from age two in New York, can only imagine. Sensing that his story might confuse readers who cannot distinguish fact from fiction, Valera informs us from the start that his story is real but the dialogue is, for the most part, invented. This, one can surmise, is to avoid the kind of controversy that Piri Thomas faced when his memorable book Down These Mean Streets was promoted first as a memoir and later, because of its allegedly spurious dialogue, declared a novel. But this is a minor point; once we enter little Héctor's world of late 1940s Santurce we're in for a treat. He is a poor but proud boy struggling with life's pains and joys amid a circle of family and friends with slightly Dickensian qualities. But Affinity for Trouble is an episodic novel, thus void of anything resembling a plot. And Hector's thoughts, fears, emotions and daily routine convincingly takes us to a particular time and place; its sights, sounds and rich food. Of specific interest are his step-sister Paula, a Creole who rectifies Héctor's spiritual ambiguities; his father Guelo, tough soldier, but loving father; his mother Letty, devoted cornerstone of the family; then there's Héctor's sickly younger brother Vitín, some shady relatives and a few tough street urchins.

However, Affinity for Trouble may be cumbersome to readers who aren't bilingual. The author's overwhelming use of Spanish words and phrases throughout the book is at times irksome. After all, too much spice can ruin any good meal. And there are expressions here and there that lose their meaning when translated into English. But he does provide a good glossary. Also confusing is that one doesn't know whether the narrator is a child, when he repeatedly says, "my papi Guelo," "my mami Letty," "my titi Chele," or a mature man reflecting and expressing himself as an adult when he delves into politics or spiritual matters. Although Mr. Varela possesses talent for narration and, I dare say, dialogue, some serious editing may've raised this book to a higher level. But it's still a fine read.

The most poignant scene occurs when his father and the all Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment sail off San Juan harbor to fight in the Korean War. It is night, family and friends stand along the ancient ramparts of El Morro fortress, wave as the sad soldiers wave back, strum guitars and sing, "Adios, adios, adios... Borinquen querido..." Wish I'd been there.

You will become immediately engaged in the adventures of this curious boy!Every description of music, food and Puerto Rico are so vivid, you will feel a part of this historical and pivotal era as America enters into this already culturally blended land.

It's got it all, sights, sounds and aromas. One is caught up with the difficult times of a fascinating family. He's got to write a follow-up. I'm sitting on the edge of my seat.

All major events depicted by the power of words in this book were carefully researched and are historically accurate. I actually walked the neighborhoods that are described, not just as the child narrator in the book, but as a man with the wisdom acquired through a fruitful and blessed life as an American citizen. I have often been asked if the assasination witnessed by a child took place. It did take place and the night club was called the "Continental Club". There was a gentleman that objected to my identifying it when the book was ready for print and he was quite persuasive so I demurred to his wishes. He has since passed so I am no longer beholden. Puerto Ricans will no longer acknowledge that once upon a time we were known as the 'poor house' of the Caribbean. We were the Haiti of that era. It is to me very important to remember how we gradually got to where we are from where we were. This book is a microcosm of humble history. We rode Uncle Sam's coat-tails into today. Thanks for reading my book.

Excellent historical portrayal of life at a given time in a given place. Recommended reading.

What a great story. This is the kind of book that you should read slowly, as you don't want this journey with Hector and Paula to end. I will never forget these characters. I laughed and cried often simultaneously, through this book. My thanks to Mr. Varela for sharing, so eloquently, his childhood journey...I can't wait for the sequel.

This book is terrible. It seems as if it were written by a child. Wait scratch that, children know how to properly structure sentences. I can not stress enough, how bad this book is. He keeps saying "I DON'T KNOW WHY WE WERE LIKE THAT"! Over and over again to explain why he is a homosexual. Weird I know. This book is awful, its like trying to listen to an old man babble about his past, this is stuff you don't even want to hear from your older relatives, so why would you buy a book of this stuff.