Book Blogger Hop No. 141: Born in a Book's Location

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,

hosted by Billy @

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer!

This Week's Question

Have you ever visited the location

of a book you have read?

(Submitted  by La La @

La La in the Library)

My Answer

What a fascinating question! No, I haven't done this, but I can go one better. I was born in the location of a book I have read, and I'm currently living in another location mentioned in the very same book.

The book I'm referring to is by Cuban writer Daina Chaviano, who lives in Miami, Florida, where I happen to live, as well. This city is featured in her novel, La Isla de los Amores Infinitos, which has been translated into English as The Island of Eternal Love.

This enchanting, dramatic, emotionally-wrenching novel tells the story of three families from different ethnic groups, who eventually blend into one family. Chaviano uses this as a metaphor for the three main ethnic groups that make up the Cuban people -- African, Spanish, and Chinese. 

This book is a tour de force of the magical realism genre, and it swept me away into its passionate, flowing story of ordinary people dealing with the imponderables of life, and a country going through the violent transformation brought about by Fidel Castro's cruel regime.

I was born in Havana, Cuba (in Spanish, "La Habana"), so this book immersed me in a bittersweet nostalgia for the country I was exiled from at a young age. As I read this novel, I was transported back there, hearing the sounds and seeing the sights of the city of my birth. I even felt as if I had gone back in time, for this book encompasses several years of history, and vividly depicts each locale and its inhabitants.

A large part of the story takes place in the lovely Cuban capital, but another large part takes place in Miami, my adopted city. It was wonderful to be able to clearly visualize the places mentioned in the story, places that I know and have been to, such as Coral Castle, the Vizcaya Museum, and "Calle Ocho" (Southwest Eighth Street), where an international carnival is held every year, and where you can get some of the best espresso, aka Cuban coffee, in the city. Here, as in other parts of Miami, you can also get ham, chicken, or cheese croquetas (croquettes), pastelitos de guayaba (guava pastries), and other typical Cuban treats.

As I read this novel, I felt as if I were the female protagonist, Cecilia, who feels displaced from her native Havana. Like Chaviano herself, she arrived in Miami at a later time in her life, so her nostalgia is even stronger than mine could ever have been (although mine is pretty strong at times). Also like Chaviano, Cecilia is a journalist, with a specialty in investigative reporting. And her current assignment is a very interesting one -- she needs to find out why a mysterious haunted house keeps showing up in different locations in Miami.....

I have read both the original Spanish and English versions of this novel, and want to do so again. This book just resonates with me so much! The characters and events depicted are so real, so very compelling, the story itself so entirely fascinating, I really can't imagine why someone hasn't already decided to make it into a movie. 

Chaviano is considered one of the three most important female writers of fantasy and science fiction in the Spanish-speaking world. I'm including more information about her below. 

I highly recommend this novel to all those who love historical fiction and magical realism, as well as romance!

You can access my review of this novel HERE.

Daína Chaviano (b. Havana, Cuba). In 1979 she received the David Prize for Science Fiction for Los Mundos que Amo (The Worlds I Love). After this, she published several fantasy and science fiction books. She established the first science fiction literary workshop in Latin America. Later, she worked as a screenwriter for television shows for children, young adults, and adults. She was a TV and radio emcee, and acted in some independent films.

In 1991, she moved to Miami, Florida (USA), where she has lived since then. Outside Cuba she has published País de Dragones (Country of Dragons), a short-story collection for young adults; a book of poetry, Confesiones Eróticas y otros Hechizos (Erotic Confessions and Other Enchantments); and the series of novels «The Occult Side of Havana», consisting of El Hombre, La Hembra y El Hambre (The Man, the Female, and Hunger), Casa de Juegos (House of Games), Gata Encerrada (The Imprisoned Cat); and La Isla de los Amores Infinitos (The Island of Eternal Love), that has become the most widely translated Cuban novel of all time with editions in 25 languages.
Daína Chaviano has received several international awards, like the Anna Seghers Award (Berlin Academy of Arts, Germany, 1990), the Azorín Prize for Best Novel (Spain, 1998), and the Goliardos International Award for Fantasy (Mexico, 2003). She was Guest of Honor at the 25th International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts (Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, 2004), and was awarded the Gold Medal for Best Book in the Spanish Language (Florida Book Awards, 2006).

Recognized as the most prominent contemporary Cuban author of science fiction and fantasy, Daína Chaviano exercises equal virtuosity in the traditional (mainstream) narrative mode. She melds realistic and historical elements with aspects of science fiction, fantasy, and Gothic literature. Her themes encompass mythology, ancient history, sociology, parapsychology, eroticism, politics, and magic, all developed in a language filled with poetic, sensual imagery.

Her works have been described as "wild experiments in genre-busting. It's as if Ray Bradbury married Michael Ende and frolicked occasionally with Anaïs Nin." (Críticas Magazine, USA, Jan-Feb., 2004)

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