Ferrer’s narrative offers a human warmth in the form of jokes and jolts of emotion couched in rich historical context ... She approaches the mountains of journals, letters and documents left behind by her parents with the same rigor she applies to files in Cuba’s national archives. The revelations she finds — about Poly, about her parents — are divulged as if they were being processed on the page, with palpable surprise, delight and, at times, grief.
Intimate ... One lesson Ferrer seeks to impart is that the outcome is sure to shape their lives in unexpected ways. Although historians are likely to focus their attention on government shake-ups, military moves, and diplomatic deals, the fallout of this moment, like all moments, will be seen in the smaller events that break and remake the people in our lives.
