Marisol and Elisa’s stories are separated by different times. Switching from the Batista years to the end of Fidel’s reign, Cleeton’s story is one of love, survival, and sacrifice. With the Cuban revolution as it’s background, Elisa’s family must decide either to leave or stay. The country is in turmoil. Years later, Marisol finds the country is still dangerous and full of secrets.
Elisa lived in a time when she was protected from the violence and political turmoil in her country. Her family fled, never to return. Marisol, a reporter, must return her grandmother’s ashes to Cuba. In doing so, she learns of her grandmother’s love for a revolutionary man. Ultimately, she builds her own love story when she meets the grandson of her grandmother’s best friend.
“That’s the thing about death—even when you think someone is gone, glimpses of them remain in those they loved and left behind.” -Chanel Cleeton, Last Year in Havana
Librarian a la mode 