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A review by loriluo
The Night Travelers by Armando Lucas Correa
3.0
"The Night Travelers" is a multi-generational story that follows 3 women who live in separate periods and places in time, but share in their traumas and struggles. Told from a third person perspective, we begin with Ally Keller's story - she's forced to raise her young daughter Lilith alone in Berlin, and on the cusp of World War II, must deal with the fact that her mixed race child isn't accepted in society. When the danger becomes too great, she sends Lilith with trusted friends to Havana, Cuba, in hopes that she will simply be seen as a Jew fleeing for safety.
Years later, Lilith grows up in Cuba in the midst of a difficult political climate leading up to the Cuban Revolution. Her childhood sweetheart Martin can't escape his loyalties to the dated Batista government, and after Fidel Castro's successful coup, she's also forced to give birth to her daughter Nadine, alone. Nadine is sent to New York City to live what he hopes is a healthier and safer life, but as an adult, Nadine returns to Berlin to continue her work as a scientist and oversee the eventual final home of the victims of the Holocaust. Her own daughter, Luna, forces her to confront her own past and the stories of her own family.
There was a lot that I wanted to love about this book; Correa clearly did some extensive research into these historical periods and events, and I appreciated how he highlighted the treatment of those who were not of Anglo-Saxon descent within Germany in the period of time before World War II as well as the affects of the Cuban Revolution. He's painted compelling stories of these different women who were forced to make difficult and near-impossible decisions for their daughters, and the way historical and political events shaped their lives. It's not a happy story, but it's an accurate one.
What I struggled with, however, was the writing. The tone and voice, even across all three women, was completely monotonous and flat. Even during moments of extreme emotional depth and loss, the writing glossed over the impact and focused more on just the events that unfolded. I found it difficult to personally connect with any of the women because of this, and had difficulty getting through the pages even though the storyline itself was compelling. All in all, I found this novel to have a strong storyline that was unfortunately muddled by surface-level writing.
Thank you Atria Books for the advance copy of this novel!
Years later, Lilith grows up in Cuba in the midst of a difficult political climate leading up to the Cuban Revolution. Her childhood sweetheart Martin can't escape his loyalties to the dated Batista government, and after Fidel Castro's successful coup, she's also forced to give birth to her daughter Nadine, alone. Nadine is sent to New York City to live what he hopes is a healthier and safer life, but as an adult, Nadine returns to Berlin to continue her work as a scientist and oversee the eventual final home of the victims of the Holocaust. Her own daughter, Luna, forces her to confront her own past and the stories of her own family.
There was a lot that I wanted to love about this book; Correa clearly did some extensive research into these historical periods and events, and I appreciated how he highlighted the treatment of those who were not of Anglo-Saxon descent within Germany in the period of time before World War II as well as the affects of the Cuban Revolution. He's painted compelling stories of these different women who were forced to make difficult and near-impossible decisions for their daughters, and the way historical and political events shaped their lives. It's not a happy story, but it's an accurate one.
What I struggled with, however, was the writing. The tone and voice, even across all three women, was completely monotonous and flat. Even during moments of extreme emotional depth and loss, the writing glossed over the impact and focused more on just the events that unfolded. I found it difficult to personally connect with any of the women because of this, and had difficulty getting through the pages even though the storyline itself was compelling. All in all, I found this novel to have a strong storyline that was unfortunately muddled by surface-level writing.
Thank you Atria Books for the advance copy of this novel!