A skillful blend of fact and fiction, In the Embrace of the Alligator, fictions from Cuba is part travelogue and part documentary on the absurdity of life.
The series of short stories is linked together in novel form to create a typically complicated Cuban soap opera.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s Amanda Hale’s best book yet.
The part-time Hornby Island resident will read and sign copies of her latest work at Laughing Oyster Bookshop Friday, June 10, at 7 p.m.
Hale first visited Cuba eight years ago. “A friend invited me to paint a mural with her in Havana. I didn’t know much about Cuba then but that’s the way I like to travel, participating in projects, working and meeting people.”
Although the stories involve different people and situations, the main character is Katrina, a Canadian who travels to El Caimán to spend time with her Afro-Cuban lover. Through her relationship with Onaldo, Katrina learns about the parallel universes in Cuba: a pleasant one for tourists versus an impoverished one for residents.
A carb heavy diet means Type 2 diabetes and amputations are common. Shopping lists are useless. People go about their day with shopping bags, buying what they can, where they can. Obtaining a head of lettuce for dinner is a cause for rejoicing.
And even though an affair with a tourist can lead to a prison sentence, the allure of a foreign lover, and the amenities they have access to, are often difficult to resist.
In the Embrace of the Alligator is often funny, yet there is also an underlying sadness. It is, I feel, an honest portrait of Cuban life. One that leaves the reader feeling like they’ve been there and have met the people they encounter in the stories.
Hale hadn’t intended to write a novel about Cuba but found the energy of the country overwhelming. “I started writing about what I saw and eventually realized I had a collection of stories that could form a book. The stories are closely based on my experiences but details have been changed to serve the various themes, to create more interest and to fit into shorter time sequences.”
“My goal was to tell the inside story of Cuba,” she continues. “I’ve spent a lot of time there and made many friends. I wanted the stories to show the way government rules affect daily life and impact relationships between Cubans and foreigners.”
As a visitor, Hale is always aware of her privileges. “Tourists have the choice of currency and of leaving. Cubans have endured so much, for many of them life is a constant state of emergency. Humour is often used to deal with the challenges of everyday life.”
Hale worked on In the Embrace of the Alligator for about five years. “I think there were nine drafts, writing is 80 percent rewriting.
Her previous novels include Sounding the Blood, The Reddening Path and
My Sweet Curiosity. Both Sounding the Blood and My Sweet Curiosity were nominated for BC Relit Awards.
The author divides her time between Hornby Island, Cuba and Toronto where she teaches a writing course at the University of Toronto.
In the Embrace of the Alligator (226 pgs., softcover) is published by Thistledown Press and retails for $18.95.
