This is the story of a day when an accident cascades into a movement. When Fidel Pérez and his brother fall from their balcony, the neighbors’ outcry — “Fidel has fallen!” — carries outward across the city. Fear and joy, sadness and celebration pass through the streets of Havana on a chorus of shouts, wails, and cheers. And a newborn anticipation fills the capital, a city that Huergo paints for us in sharp detail and with genuine affection.
Both insightful and personal, by turns humorous and poignant, The Death of Fidel Pérez bounces hope and resilience off of the broken promises of the Cuban Revolution. Indeed, Elizabeth Huergo’s breathtaking debut fairly rings with the triumphal heart of a nation. “The Death of Fidel Pérez is a brilliantly achieved and totally convincing exploration of life in contemporary Cuba. Elizabeth Huergo brings Havana to life and peoples it with a cast of memorable characters who are caught in, though not always defined, by history. This is a remarkable debut.”

Eamonn Wall, author of Sailing lake mareotis

“Book Review: The Death of Fidel Perez“

The Hispanic Reader, 4 April 2013

“There is an erudition of language and a wealth of dramatized history in this novel. Both a portrait of the realities of the revolution and a speculative fiction as to what has happened to the Cuban soul, … The Death of Fidel Pérez will reward both a general audience looking for a lively read and the discerning reader who truly cares about literature: in short, a heartfelt and well-written novel, with a provocative premise.”

Oscar Hijuelos, Pulitzer Prize Winner

“5 Winter Books by Latino Authors”

olivia chadha, Necessary Fiction, 17 March 2014

“Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin”

Poets & Writers Magazine, May/June 2013

“Review of The Death of Fidel Perez“

Cherie ann parker, Shelf Awareness, 12 April 2013

“Havana-born first-time novelist Huergo’s clever political satire uses an intriguing premise to depict what could happen to her native country if Fidel and Raul Castro suddenly died.”

Publishers weekly

“Five Latino Authors to Read for Spring”

Mamiverse, 17 January 2013

“Elizabeth Huergo’s The Death of Fidel Perez imagines a new Cuban revolution.”

Steve weinberg, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 19 April 2013