Havana Thursdays

One phone call shatters the facade of tranquility presented by the entire Torres family, pitching its members into shockwaves of emotional upheaval that reveal the unsavory realities the clan prefers to ignore. Told in a fast-paced documentary style, Havana Thursdays is a compelling collection of voices of a Cuban-American family gathering during the crucial aftermath of a family member’s death. In alternating chapters, six strong-willed and vibrant women unfurl before the reader the richly hued tableau of their lives. Suárez delivers a hopeful message that human dignity and good will provide the resilience to help overcome crises. Ultimately, the Torres family of Cuban exiles is no different in its sorrows and joys than any other American family, regardless of ethnicity. With forays into the individual psyches of characters in crisis over love and loyalty, growing up and growing old, marrying and dissolving, Suárez’s portrayal of women is as daring as their resolve to pioneer generational changes for this conservative clan.