Hotel Cuba by Aaron HamburgerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Since I’m writing a novel inspired by the true story of a Jewish immigrant from revolutionary-era Russia to “America”, I read many such novels to see how others have approached the topic. (I also live in terror of being overly influenced by any of them, but I can’t seem to stop myself from reading them.) I’ve just finished reading one of the best so far: Aaron Hamburger’s book, Hotel Cuba.
It does have the usual horror stories so many of our ancestors survived: shtetl life, virulent antisemitism, pogroms, poverty, seasick ocean crossings, crowded tenements, old-world superstition and new-world discrimination. But Hotel Cuba is different. The protagonist is a solid, stubborn, hard-working woman in her mid-twenties named Pearl who is caring for her delicate, pretty, spoiled younger sister, Frieda. Their mother died when Frieda was born, so while only a child herself Pearl took over the parenting role, sacrificing her prospects to ensure that her younger sibling was well looked after. (I recently learned that my own grandmother – who had a natural talent for medicine and would likely have become a nurse if not a doctor had she been raised in a prosperous family — did something similar. She was embarrassed to let her younger siblings go to school in un-ironed clothes, so she cut short her own education at about Grade 6 to care for them.)
Frieda’s sweetheart has immigrated to the United States and she’s determined to follow him. But in the early 1920s the Americans started closing their borders to the massive East European Jewish immigration they’d had for the previous two decades. Pearl and Frieda get diverted to Havana, Cuba. Still determined to make it to the love of her life in the United States, Frieda ultimately convinces Pearl to pay smugglers to get her across the border, even though they cannot yet afford to take this risky trip together. As Pearl settles in to the new-found freedoms of Havana alone, she must decide whether to keep trying to join her sister or build a new life for herself in Cuba.
Hamburger writes with clear simplicity, yet paints a vivid picture. It is easy to feel, smell and even taste the differences between the vibrant, colourful life of Cuba and the crowded, dark, smelly tenements of New York. He also brings to life the many different types of people who made homes for themselves in Havana of the era, including transvestites and draft dodgers.
What I particularly loved was the complexity of Pearl. It was delightful watching her no-nonsense approach to life; the stubborn, brave outer face while hiding her own insecurities and fears. I could hear my Bobba Bayla in Pearl’s earthy pronouncements, and recognize the complex immigrant family dynamics.
I highly recommend this book.
View all my reviews on Goodreads
