Hearing @cleyvisnatera discussing novel composition & #nerudaonthepark’s genesis was a huge treat: thanks @lacasa_lagcc & @rodriguezsoniaa (at LaGuardia Community College) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClIQ7ZtN1A1/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The Sunday Spotlight! Today the Spotlight shines on NERUDA ON THE PARK! It’s two months away from hitting shelves, but this gives you time to get ready! My thoughts ✍🏿 To thine own self be true. That seems to be the sentence that sums up this thrill of a novel. It doesn’t start out out as a suspense thriller, but Cleyvis Natera slowly and with rapturous prose unravels the story of Luz and Eusebio Guerrero parallel with the fraying of their mostly Dominican neighborhood in New York City. The novel is divided into three parts, Demolition, Excavation, and Grounding. Luz is the daughter of Eusebio and Vladimir. They left the Dominican Republic to settle in NYC. The parents sacrificed to see that Luz finished law school and passed the Bar. She is a practicing lawyer in a prestigious Manhattan law firm when she is summarily dismissed. This event kicks off the novel and immediately drew me in, I wanted to know why. How could this happen? Well, small spoiler here, that’s not really the crux of this story. The bigger issue is the coming gentrification of their neighborhood. And what must be done to stop the construction and destruction. And Eusebio has a plan that is crazy and sets the thriller in motion. Several times, I asked of Eusebia, what are you thinking? But remember my first sentence. To thine own self be true. By the third part of the novel, the ominous clouds are forming and the storm of suspense rises to a thrilling but not complete conclusion. Are the lies we tell ourselves harmless? What kind of damage can we wrought? These themes are explored under a big umbrella that also addresses the idea of “home” as physical place or psychic peace. Really enjoyed how Cleyvis built this story and the emotional mother daughter relationship. It was damn near perfect plotting and pacing. Besides the cliched boyfriend hookup for Luz, there isn’t much to dislike. Is the neighborhood decaying or is Eusebia’s perspective crumbling? You’ll have to read this debut novel to find out? Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for an advanced DRC. The book drops May 8, 2022. Mark your calendar. #ownvoicesreviews #ballantinebooks #cleyvisnatera #nerudaonthepark #bookpusher (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CaxAw1ArC66/?utm_medium=tumblr