Luz · Book I · Comings and Goings (Troubled Times 1)

Cuba, August 1994, where a shocking event is currently unfolding. For the first time in 35 years, Cubans are openly revolting against Castro’s regime and, likewise, the government is not stopping anyone from leaving the island. But this time nobody is coming by to pick anyone up. This time there is no boatlift as during the Mariel Crisis. Those who want to flee the country are free to do so, as long as they take to the sea in their inner tubes and contraptions and homemade rafts. Nineteen year-old Clara has decided that, despite the risks involved, she’s leaving her homeland and convinces husband, Rigo, they must both join the exodus. Everything is set for the following morning. The young married couple and two companions plan to depart from the little fishing village of Cojimar, made famous by Ernest Hemingway. That night, however, as Rigo is breaking the news to his family about their impending departure, another shocking event is about to unfold. As Clara awaits her husband’s return, an unexpected visitor appears with news that will drastically impact their plans. Stunned and in disbelief, Clara refuses to accept what is being revealed. She figures the surreal visitation is only the result of fear and uncertainty over the decision to leave Cuba. But Clara will soon change her mind. She will soon accept the news this stranger brings and thus begin an odyssey that will forever alter her life in—LUZ, book i: comings and goings—the first testament of her story.

--from FOREWORD REVIEWS: A hefty, surprising, and absorbing exploration of faith, both in political and divine redemption. Written with verve and sensitivity, Gonzalez crafts a humorous Cuban tale full of unexpected twists and rich characterizations, and whose surprises reward the suspension of disbelief. While sections devoted to God’s conversations with his son in Heaven provide both levity and space for theological considerations, readers who enjoy the strangeness of this humorous and theological first installment will certainly look forward to future adventures. FOREWORD REVIEWS

--from KIRKUS REVIEWS: Gonzalez is a strong, sometimes idiosyncratic prose-stylist particularly adept at capturing the clash of idealism and futility that marks this period of Cuba’s history. Gonzalez’s considerable storytelling prowess is most fully realized in a chapter devoted to the backstories of Rigo and Clara’s father. Here, flashbacks allow the story to move along while capturing the heartbreak of intellectual yearning snuffed out by an oppressive bureaucratic regime.

--from MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW: Luz is a highly charged saga of change and spirituality. The result is a striking, captivating, and dense read that unfolds like a flower and blossoms with a predestined heroine whose mother's world collapses and rises again from the fires of destruction, like a phoenix. Readers who appreciate a fine blend of spiritual and social insight, all held together by the glue of a feisty young protagonist surviving a Third World country, will find Luz a gripping, evocative story.