Telex from Cuba

Telex from Cuba is an engrossing novel of the years leading up to Castro's revolution, told from the point of view of the American children. But it's different from so many of the other books written on this topic because this story is not so much about the "bigger picture" of politics and revolution but the little and hitherto untold story of the children who grew up in Cuba on American plantations. Their parents had come (as K.C. puts it at the end) "to take" from Cuba and from the Cubans but the children who were sometimes born in and grew up in Cuba were different. For they learned to love the land and the people. More even than their own families sometimes. As a result of this unique perspective, the first thing you notice are the colors--the red of the nickel plant, of the fire and the sunset; the green and the blue of the sea; the promised ivory of the night-blooming cereus Willy planted underneath Everly's bedroom window (an act of a lover). And then the colors of the skin. Black and pink for the Haitians like Willy--Black skin and pink hands; shades of brown for the Cubans (the lighter, the less noticeable the brown the higher the social status), white for the Americans in their exclusive club from which the not-quite-white enough Cuban President was blacklisted; white for the French Nazi. And because of this unique perspective (a child's perspective), the characters are always evolving. There's Mr. Blousse who (at first glance) seems a breath of fresh air because the color of the skin does not seem to matter to him at least. Else why would he have an Haitian wife and Black daughters? But then we learn (from Willy the Haitian boy Mr. Blousse had bought) that the daughters and the wife were like slaves in that house. As was Willy himself. Until he ran away. There's K.C.'s father who seems so proper, so devoted, so brave when we first meet him. Except that he beats a pig to death in their backyard and makes K.C watch; except that he (intentionally?) displays his mistress to his family at Christmas while telling the mistress about how much he loves his family. There are the Allains who come to Cuba under the cloud of murder (of a White federal agent we later learn although the gossip in the American colony is that Hatch had murdered a Black man in Louisiana--no big deal, they say) and who, in some ways, turn out to be the most decent of the lot. If decency can be measured by who exploits Cubans least. So many more stories. Each of them an individual thread; each thread woven seamlessly into this colorful tapestry of a novel. And so you have a tale of contradictions: rich colors and color-blindness; terrible cruelty and awe-inspiring love; cynicism and naivete all against the backdrop of the cruelty of the American plantations which was followed by the cruelty of the revolution. But maybe it's this very contradiction that underscores the shared humanity of everyone. Maybe that's what makes this seem a magical story abou

I imagine most bibliophiles remember when and how their love of books began. My affair started in second grade with a set of orangy-yellow cloth covered biographies of all the presidents up to that time. The only illustration in each book was a woodcut profile of the president. Since then, I've read thousands of books, some of which have been so special they leave a lasting impression. Rachel Kushner's Telex from Cuba is one such book. As other reviewers have noted, Ms. Kushner chose to tell the story of Americans in pre-Castro, pre-revolution Cuba, through the eyes of the children of American executives (who, by the way, knew their own limitations--they'd have nothing comparable to their Cuban jobs in the States). We also see much through the perspective of the women. This is effective because children often question what they see with an innocence that has long been lost on many adults. And what better way to convey the social morays of that period than through the actions of women who followed their husbands to exotic places and who raised their children there. The social constraints of these women are perfectly captured in the book which would explain why some of the women drank--after all, alcohol dulls the senses. Women haven't always been so free! Each family in the book has its own dynamic and Ms. Kushner perfectly captures the nuances within that dynamic, including a pet monkey. It fascinated me that Ms. Kushner even understood and described perfectly that poor little monkey's frustration! As others have mentioned, she also captures the dynamics of a zazou dancer, Rachel K, based on a real person and Christian de la Maziere, a former Nazi who is first and foremost an arms dealer. Without preaching, through the eyes of the children and the adults, we also get a realistic glimpse of how unfairly the workers were treated at the cane field and the nickel factory--it was virtually modern day "slavery" something akin to what seasonal farm workers endure today, perhaps? This book clearly has a story line but for those seeking plot driven stories, this book may or may not work. But for those who like pictures painted with words and for those who prefer character driven stories, then this book will be a real treat. It is IMHO a five star-plus book and it will always be on my bookshelf.

I have absolutely loved my journey through this book. I thought I would not find another book about Cuba to be as brilliant as Carlos Erie's Waiting for Snow in Havana and Eduardo Santiago's Tomorrow They Will Kiss. But this one, although maybe not as brilliantly written, is a wonderful read. I read a review in The New York Times that suggested maybe Ms. Kushner was not necessarily always factual with her history of Cuba. That is something I certainly would not know having lived most of my life in the North where there is, on the whole, little interest in Cuban history. But for years I have lived in Key West and now Miami Beach--and I have grown very interested in Cuba, its history, and most especially the "take" on Cuba from those who write about it now. I lived in the fifties--in the North--so I related well to some of the characters from the United States who find themselves cast in a human drama of a large company owned and operated by a company in the United States. The characters--fictional and non-fictional--seem so real to me. What a great way to learn about Cuban history--the Revolution!

I'm right in the middle of the book. I've got Cuban roots and experiences, so the title caught my attention. What a great read. The author has a wonderful touch, mixing vivid characters, textured social and political history, and engaging narrative flow. I'm enthalled; I'm experiencing literary art.

Rachel Kushner has written a great book that will be up for all the book awards at the end of the year. She has recreated the Cuba of the 1950's, an American outpost run by the Big Business, riped for the revolution of Fidel Castro. Seen mainly through the eyes of American ex-pats who are oblivious to the 'Cuba for Cubans" theme, the writing is lush and descriptive with a cast of memorable characters : the Castro brothers, a Nazi, a stripper, an American family falling apart, and the Cuban People. The author has done her research on the poverty, the customs, the era of the 1950's. "Telex From Cuba" has a feel of "Casablanca" crossed with "To Kill a Mockingbird."