Genres: Historical Fiction
Published by Berkley 
Title: Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: 6th February 2018
Publisher: Penguin / Berkley
After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity–and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution…
Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba’s high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country’s growing political unrest–until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary…
Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa’s last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.
Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba’s tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she’ll need the lessons of her grandmother’s past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.
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★4.5 STARS★
Although born in America, Cuba has always been at the heart of Marisol Ferrera’s upbringing. Regaled with tales of its complex and rich history, her grandmother has always instilled a sense of pride in her. It’s through the loss of her Grandmother that Marisol embarks on her first visit to Cuba. Professionally she is there to write a tourism piece, but most profoundly she is there to fulfil her grandmother’s wishes of having her ashes scattered there.
During her time in Cuba Marisol visits the places her grandmother spoke about, as well as connecting with people who knew her best. It’s through these connections Marisol discovers some secrets that are as dangerous today as they were back then.
The beauty of this story is that we not only get Marisol’s story but her grandmother Elisa’s, too. Very much alike in character, it’s a wonder to see the parallels in journeys their lives take.
NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA is a triumph and testament to Chanel Cleeton’s outstanding abilities as a writer. So beautifully written the novel is steeped in the history and vibrancy of Cuba. Much like an artist Cleeton paints a glorious picture which is enriched by her style and imagery. The heaviness of politics is balanced by the delicate relationships between family, and the hope that blooms with tentativeness of romantic ones.
It was first time reading a Historical Fiction by Chanel, and with the excitement that Beatriz will be getting her own novel also, it will also not be the last.
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