Los Desengaños

Book Summary
By explaining that the book title translates to “Disillusions” the reader is forewarned not to expect a happy ending. The name was that of an old sugar mill in ruins. The author’s father inherits the land and after years of struggle turns it into the bases for a successful cattle business. The book begins with some background about the mysterious ruins, mostly speculative since their origin is unknown, and then continues chronologically through the author’s childhood divided between the isolated farm and a house in the city of Camaguey. The pace and feel of the book changes with adulthood and the political rivalries that brought violence and tragedy to the whole island and this family in particular. The end is not surprising to anyone familiar with the Cuban story.