The Taste of Sugar
A Novel
by Marisel Vera
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Pub Date Jun 16 2020 | Archive Date May 31 2020
W. W. Norton & Company | Liveright
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Description
Marisel Vera emerges as a major voice of contemporary fiction with a heart-wrenching novel set in Puerto Rico on the eve of the Spanish-American War.
It is 1898, and groups of starving Puerto Ricans, los hambrientos, roam the parched countryside and dusty towns begging for food. Under the yoke of Spanish oppression, the Caribbean island is forced to prepare to wage war with the United States. Up in the mountainous coffee region of Utuado, Vicente Vega and Valentina Sanchez labor to keep their small farm from the creditors. When the Spanish-American War and the great San Ciriaco Hurricane of 1899 bring devastating upheaval, the young couple is lured, along with thousands of other puertorriquenos, to the sugar plantations of Hawaii—another US territory—where they are confronted by the hollowness of America’s promises of prosperity.
Writing in the tradition of great Latin American storytelling, Marisel Vera’s The Taste of Sugar is an unforgettable novel of love and endurance, and a timeless portrait of the reasons we leave home.
About the Author: A proud Boricua, Marisel Vera is the author of If I Bring You Roses, and the two-time winner of Willow Review's fiction prize.
Advance Praise
“Subtle yet arresting, The Taste of Sugar, is a gorgeous feat of storytelling. Marisel Vera melds meticulous research with deep compassion and pure talent to fashion a novel that excavates the pain of the history while drawing hope from the buried stories of our nation. This is historical fiction as its best, using the moral dilemmas of the past to decipher our present conflicts in order to light our way toward a more just future.” - Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage
“A majestic work with the grand sweep of history and the intimacy of a compelling dream. Marisel Vera has written a compassionate, unforgettable, richly detailed novel about colonialism in all its guises, offering us little-known stories from the past that are essential to understanding the present.” - Cristina Garcia, author of Dreaming in Cuban
“In The Taste of Sugar, Vera adds an important contribution to Puerto Rican literature by chronicling the U.S. invasion of Puerto Rico, the San Ciriaco hurricane, and the mass migration to Hawaii. Throughout, Vera captures the 'trabajo y tristeza' of the Puerto Rican people. Brava to Marisel Vera for telling our stories!” - Ivelisse Rodriguez, author of Love War Stories
“Vera eloquently tells the story of an astonishing Puerto Rican family and their countrymen and women, as their people are constantly betrayed, discarded and ruined, first by the Spanish, next by the Americans, yet they never give up hope. Haunting, mesmerizing, and heart-scorching, you will turn pages while holding your breath. You don’t just read this genius alive novel, you live it.” - Caroline Leavitt, author of Cruel Beautiful World
“A family saga set against the backdrop of Puerto Rico in the late 1800s, The Taste of Sugar plunges us into a world where people who are struggling with profound poverty, abuse and discrimination manage to preserve their hopes, dignity, grace and the familial love that holds them together. Marisel Vera’s novel is a real contribution to the literature about the immigrant experience of yesterday—and today.” - María Amparo Escandón, author of Esperanza’s Box of Saints and González and Daughter Trucking Co.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781631497735 |
| PRICE | $26.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 384 |
Featured Reviews
Kimberly K, Reviewer
I really can't say enough good things about this book. I loved everything about it, especially the writing style. The mix of English and Spanish really set the scene for the story and made the characters come alive. The novel opens in 1898 and follows the family of Vicente Vega as they navigate a challenging life as coffee farmers under Spanish rule, the Spanish-American War and Puerto Rico's change to American rule, a devastating hurricane, and finally as immigrants to Hawaii. The writing is rich and descriptive and the characters well developed and believable. I will not soon forget this novel of strength, survival, and family.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Marisel Vera for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this wonderful book.
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