Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I finished another Battle of the Books possibility on Friday, namely Daniel Miyares’ How to Say Goodbye in Cuban, and I was once again reminded that titles are hard. Because you see, I don’t think that title is a terrific representation of the book as a whole, and yet I have absolutely no idea what I would call it myself. Perhaps Miyares found that title personally evocative?

Anyway. Goodbye in Cuban is actually the story of Miyares’ father’s escape from Cuba as a boy, accompanied by his parents and siblings but without his beloved grandparents, who stayed behind. It isn’t the first book I’ve read this year that describes Castro’s Cuba, and I’m always struck by the awful mix of some good (wider educational opportunities are a standout) and much bad that accompanied his ‘revolution’. Carlos’ father owned a furniture making business before it was confiscated by the Cuban government, after which he went out fishing for nights on end before disappearing altogether for something like a year. Their family was consequently viewed with suspicion, and when Papi finally returned with a boat, they began their escape–which was a bit circuitous, but ended well. Miyares captures well the feeling of being partly in the dark, probably because his father, who waited until his son was an adult to tell him his story, was a boy at the time and was. Papi’s emotional transformation as a father seemed abrupt to me, but that could have been the contrast between living in fear and doubt and deciding what to do about it. Overall, it’s a thoroughly engrossing story.

In other news, my two younger girlies had their dance recital this weekend–it’s always lovely to see them dressed up and loving to dance–and on Sunday we met with my oldest daughter’s service mission advisors. (Did I mention that she’ll be serving as a service missionary for our church for 18 months? She’s completely excited to volunteer with special needs groups, as she wants to go into special ed, as well as use her Spanish at a volunteer medical clinic. Among other things.) We managed to play two games as a family yesterday afternoon without my youngest two children killing each other–an impressive feat for the sort of day my youngest was having–and I did dishes without having to make any part of dinner. I hope your weekends were lovely!