Customer Reviews

Tomorrow They Will Kiss: A Novel

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I knew I wanted this book after reading a few pages in an airline magazine. During my brief sojourn I was compelled to shop several bookstores so that I would have it for the return flight. Although I consciously tried not to raise my expectations, it was difficult not to do so. So my expectations were high. "Tomorrow They Will Kiss" greatly exceeded my highest hopes. For no reason I had worried that it was a "chick book," that I would not like it and that while the excerpt was intriguing, the whole book might not be so. I could not put it down and I hated for it to end.

While we are reading about three school girls growing up in a pre-Castro Cuba, coming of age at the time of the Revolution, and by extraordinary circumstance reuniting after fleeing to the United States at different times and for various reasons, the book is about personalities, relationships and attitudes, how these develop and once formed do not change no matter what may change in circumstance and fortune. Filtering identical events through three different frames of reference are Eduardo Santiago's forte. He enables you to see encounters and situations through three separate pairs of eyes almost as if the events were different rather than the same.

It could have been about three boys or three girls anywhere, anytime. But it was in Cuba, before and after, and in America time and time again.

If knowing the author disqualifies me from having my say, so be it. But the fact is I have known and respected Eduardo Santiago for quite a few years without fully realizing the depth of his talent. His short stories pointed the way. But now in his first novel, "Tomorrow They Will Kiss," it all becomes clear. How he inhabits his three main characters, who migrate from Castro's Cuba and find themselves in the strange new world of Union, New Jersey. How he develops each woman's character, providing a wealth of details about her life in her homeland and her adjustment to the United States. How he humorously and poignantly describes their relations with each other and with various men and women in their lives. While it is true that the experiences he relates have a universal appeal, Santiago's Cuban background gives him a special understanding into the way these individuals think, speak and deal with the obstacles in their paths. His depiction of the role that telenovelas play in their lives is not only amusing but also relevant inasmuch as that form of programming will be seen on American television in the near future.

This is a lovely, sweet, and extremely readable novel. I read it straight through on one airplane ride, and then, still teary from its poignant and unexpected ending, I began reading it again. I read pretty much all the Cuban novels that come out, and Eduardo Santiago's voice is absolutely unique in its gentleness and generosity. His descriptions of poverty and loss were heartbreaking. I highly, highly, highly recommend this novel!

Graciela Altamira is a Cuban woman who fled to New Jersey in order to protect her sons from Fidel Castro's regime. She ends up working in a doll factory, where she finds two women from the village where she was born. Caridad and Imperio were never close friends with Graciela, but the three women have clung to the aura of familiarity by spending time with each other.

As Graciela begins to find her place in American society, Imperio and Caridad remember all the hometown scandals that Graciela was involved in. Now, they worry that she will follow the same patterns, which would cast them in a bad light, of course. They also reminisce about the circumstances in which they left Cuba.

Although many Cuban refugees left with hopes of some day returning, Graciela knows not to count on it. Instead, she seeks her inspiration from nightly telenovelas. She finds hope for her dreams within the dramas played out on her television. It has become a new cultural obsession, in which the impossible can happen. Much to Caridad and Imperio's dismay, Graciela finds the courage to move forward, to indulge her talents, and to--just possibly--find love.

The story is told from the perspective of each woman. Fun-loving Graciela, reserved Caridad, and the seemingly cold-hearted Imperio each give voice to their experiences through chapters dedicated solely to their first-person points of view. This technique--one that is seeing more use in fiction--lends intimate depth to Graciela's story. Every person is more than their perception of themselves, and the option to use a direct, first-person voice for Graciela's peers demonstrates this in a near-seamless way.

While this novel is ultimately about Graciela's journey to self-discovery, it also provides a surprisingly frank look into Cuban culture. The average American has no idea what life is like in Cuba, other than references to a ruthless dictator and illegal cigars. This book can open American eyes to what might prompt families to board boats under the cover of darkness. Nothing is as simple as it seems on the surface, whether it's illegal flotillas of refugees, international custody battles, the economic impact of embargoes, and so on. In all our American "wisdom," we sometimes forget to look beneath the surface to find the stories that matter. And whether we like it or not, stories like Graciela's matter.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer

7/7/2006

Far from her tropical home, toiling in a New Jersey doll factory, Graciela Altamira longs for the same happy ending that seems always to occur in her beloved telenovelas--a kiss powerful enough to erase the sins of her past and the haunting memory of her homeland. (summary by the Latino Recommended Reading List from the Association of American Publishers's * Publishing Latino Voices for America Task Force)
It's getting really favorable reviews:
"A feast of splendidly drawn characters-of anxious dreamers, lost souls, and gritty survivors-Tomorrow They Will Kiss is a work of gentle loveliness, sometimes searing and often hilarious."
--Ann Louise Bardach, author of Cuba Confidential

"Eduardo Santiago has captured the voice of Cuban womanhood in all its whimsical, musical beauty. This is a compelling and compassionate story."
--Charles Fleming, author of After Havana and The Ivory Coast

"Tomorrow They Will Kiss" by Eduardo Santiago is simply a delightful novel.

His three main female characters have such wonderful individual voices. With a novel you're always a fly on the wall but in his story it's not just about observing what they think or say but analyzing their words and actions that beautifully reveal their character flaws.

Santiago's descriptions are so lovely and often have the most endearing comparisons: from the plump Caridad being described as looking "luxuriously stuffed and upholstered, like an expensive sofa" to the description of a hot afternoon that "makes you feel like a lizard, drowsy and changing colors."

It is wonderful to follow Graciela's path as a woman from existing in such a controlling political and social environment in Cuba during the revolution to her `freedom' and growth in the United States. I would highly recommend this wonderful novel.

Eduardo Santiago writes an outrageously complex and interesting story told from three different perspectives. If only we could know what three different people think about the same events in real life! The characters are compelling, funny and sad, all at the same time. A great read.

Stop the presses! Don't eat, sleep or do anything but go out and buy this book. I loved it so much I read it straight through. I was even having my daily requisite argument with my beloved boyfriend and sneaking pages all the while (usually nothing can shut me up at these moments.) I took the book everywhere I went. I cried, I laughed, I made silly, gleeful faces. I dearly hope Mr. Santiago is writing a lot, now, quickly, because I can't wait to read the next one. Its truly been a long time since I've enjoyed a novel as I have this one. I think I'm in love. Por dios!

It is hard to imagine that this book was written by a man. I really got some good laughs reading some passages in this book; but it also deals with some not so funny issues of people following a path of not of their choosing and forced to make difficult decisions. I really enjoyed reading this book. I would strongly recommend it!

Santiago takes you back to 1960's Union City and Cuba via the lives pre and post Castro of three strong women, each with her own perception of life, love and war. I began reading the novel on a plane and devoured it in one sitting - I strongly recommend it!