Oscar Hijuelos (1951–2013)

In 1949, brothers Cesar and Nestor Castillo leave Havana, Cuba and make their home in New York. They are musicians who experience a brief brush with fame with a song written by Nestor to an idealized love interest. They catch the attention of fellow Cuban Desi Arnaz and make a cameo appearance on the I Love Lucy show. It covers the brothers’ childhood in Cuba and Cesar’s life into his sixties.

The first half of the book tells a story of contrasting personalities – Cesar is the flamboyant lead singer who enjoys the limelight and Nestor is more comfortable in a supporting role. Cesar chases women relentlessly while Nestor is fixated on one early relationship to the detriment of his wife and children. The second half focuses on Cesar, sitting in a run-down hotel room in 1980, drinking whiskey, listening to his group’s old recordings, and reflecting back on his life. The introduction and conclusion are written from the viewpoint of Nestor’s son, Eugenio, providing the next generation’s perspective.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the positive side, the writing is expressive and convincingly evokes the period of the 1940s and 1950s. The musical references provide a wealth of material to investigate further, which I always appreciate. On the negative side, the plot is almost exclusively focused on drinking and sex. The main character is drinking himself to death, and the many sex scenes are extremely graphic. There is little character development. It does not leave much room for anything beyond commenting on a shallow life. It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1990.… (more)

looking at reviews of this book now, i'm surprised by how many people are saying that it's "too slow for today's teens" or "not developed enough for today's teens" or "not exciting enough for today's teens." but are these people teens? no. they are not.

let the teens decide.

of course, i had my own problems with this book, namely that it was supposed to be set in the 60's or 70's and it really really didn't feel like it. the language and some of the plot screamed "present day." add that to the fact that characters seem to go against what you think they would do if they were real people, with startling regularity, and it just wasn't doing it for me.… (more)