Enrique Flores-Galbis

Complex immigration story, of children sent away to flee the revolution in Cuba. The dreamy quality of the writing and the somewhat loose narrative structure work both for and against the book -- it loses something in that no dates are specified (although there are clues), we never know how old Julian is, the larger picture is telescoped down to personal stories, the trustworthiness of most of the adults remains an ever-shifting map, the bullies cause stress and anguish. On the other hand, it's a compelling depiction of the immediacy of a child's point of view -- none of the details I mention above are things that a child would pay much attention to; they are known things that don't need to be pulled out unless relevant. The story flows from one moment to the next and it all just unfolds. It was an interesting read, but I missed the context, and I love reading for character, which was not necessarily the strength here.… (more)