βThere 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, β¦ The Death of Fidel PΓ©rez 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.β
βΒ Β Oscar Hijuelos, Pulitzer Prize WinnerΒ β
This is the story of a day when an accident cascades into a movement.Β When Fidel PΓ©rez and his brother fall from their balcony, the neighborsβ outcry β βFidel has fallen!β β 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 PΓ©rez bounces hope and resilience off of the broken promises of the Cuban Revolution. Indeed, Elizabeth Huergoβs breathtaking debut fairly rings with the triumphal heart of a nation.Β “The Death of Fidel PΓ©rez 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.”
βΒ Β Eamonn Wall, author of Sailing Lake Mareotis —
“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 —
“Elizabeth Huergo’s The Death of Fidel Perez imagines a new Cuban revolution.”
— Steve Weinberg,Β Cleveland Plain Dealer, 19 April 2013 —
“Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin”
—Β Poets & Writers Magazine, May/June 2013 —
“Review of The Death of Fidel Perez“
— Cherie Ann Parker, Shelf Awareness, 12 April 2013 —
“Book Review: The Death of Fidel Perez“
—Β TheΒ Hispanic Reader,Β 4 April 2013 —
“Five Latino Authors to Read for Spring”
—Β Mamiverse,Β 17 January 2013 —
“5 Winter Books by Latino Authors”
—Olivia Chadha, Necessary Fiction, 17 March 2014 —
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