The Book of Lost Saints

Starred review from September 30, 2019
A ghost of the Cuban revolution haunts the pages of this vivid and emotional literary fantasy from Older (Shadowhouse Fall). Marisol Aragones died after Castro gained power and the Cuban revolution turned sour, but she can’t remember how or why. Now a disembodied spirit in early-2000s New Jersey, with only a tenuous foothold in the land of the living, her one hope for piecing together her past is through her nephew, Ramon. Marisol spends her days observing—and criticizing—Ramon’s work as a hospital security guard and DJ and his hopeless feelings for his no-strings-attached fling, Aliceana Mendoza. At night, she infiltrates his dreams to give him visions of what little she remembers of her life during the revolution. These dreams send Ramon on a quest to uncover long-buried family secrets, dragging a difficult truth from his mother and traveling with Aliceana to Cuba, where the resistance works against the government in secret. Older’s descriptions of Cuba, both past and present, are thoroughly transportive. This moving story of family and freedom is sure to captivate readers.

November 1, 2019
Marisol was a political prisoner during the Cuban Revolution, before she disappeared leaving only the vaguest clues to her whereabouts. Her spirit, however, lingered, and now visits her descendants in modern-day New Jersey. Using her otherworldly influence to spark inspiration in her nephew, Ram�n, Marisol hopes her presence will spur an interest in the family's radical history and bring truth to the rumors of her disappearance. On his own quest, Ram�n picks up the story where Marisol leaves off as he encounters criminals, law enforcement, heartbreak, and a driving force for good. This sweeping cross-generational saga from YA and adult fantasy author Older (Battle Hill Bolero, 2017) immerses readers in the thrilling, heartbreaking history of one Cuban American family. Marisol is an effectively omniscient narrator, weaving memories of years past and predictions for her family's future into the contemporary story. With lyricism and atmosphere, Older skillfully emphasizes tone over plot. Fans of Lucinda Reilly, Judith Kinghorn, and Richard C. Morais will find themselves lost in Ram�n's haunting, melancholy, and undeniably inspiring journey.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)