Jeanine Cummins’ acclaimed first novel, “American Dirt,” was about the perilous journey migrants take from Mexico to the United States, and in her new novel, “Speak to Me of Home,” she takes us to Puerto Rico in a story that encompasses generations of women whose lives are either completely or peripherally connected to that tropical island.
While the story begins with a horrific accident during a hurricane in which the youngest woman in the family, Daisy, is terribly injured, the novel also shares the stories of the lives of her mother and her grandmother. There are many relatives whose names we must learn, and it’s extremely helpful that Cummins includes a family tree, so we can check the names and see which generation the different names appear on.
The family story begins with Mamamía and Papamío, the celebrated couple whose charm and style was celebrated by Puerto Rican society. Even though Papamío was thought to have married beneath him, Mamamía having come from the other side of the island, where the locals weren’t as sophisticated as those who lived in San Juan, she was beautiful and dressed with flair. Papamío came from a very “white” family with a wealthy background. Mamamía, on the other hand, had darker skin, although her father had done extremely well financially. And we see that everywhere, whiteness is celebrated.
As Daisy struggles for her life, Cummins takes us back and forth in time and place as we see Rafaela, Daisy’s grandmother, whose childhood was spent as a pampered princess. She didn’t butter her own toast, she went to private schools, she was give whatever she wanted. Until her father’s downfall, life seemed perfect. Rafaela married an American whose family is of Irish heritage, and her daughter, Ruth, follows suit.
The family’s lives take them to St. Louis, and then to Palisades, New York, and back to San Juan, as we learn about the passions and the tribulations of the three women over the years. What Cummins demonstrates over and over through the events in the story is that the women in the generations preceding Daisy live their lives reacting to decisions made by their husbands. When Papamío’s career is destroyed, Mamamía must help them rebuild their lives. When both Ruth and her mother Rafaela’s marriages result in hard times, they both must figure out what to do with their lives.
The rampant discrimination against those whose skin is not lily white is like a slap in the face as we read about devastating actions and comments that cut to the core. Rafaela’s husband joins a country club, but then they must deal with the racism that means she cannot use the locker room with the “white” women. Rafaela’s stance and mien practically scream “privileged upbringing,” but that’s not enough. Ruth, on the other hand, feels like she’s not Puerto Rican enough to be a part of that club in college, especially when, ironically, the other girls there shun her for her “whiteness.”
Ultimately, though, this is a novel about belonging, home, and family. It’s about finding our passions and celebrating them as do all the women in the novel. Daisy’s passion is not what her mother wanted for her, but like all the strong-willed women in the story, she finds her own path. Cummins explores our capacity to love and the ways we love. Through the characters, she demonstrates that while home is where the family is, home also needs to be a place where we are accepted and loved for who we are.
The cruelty of racism rears its head often in this saga as we come to realize that seemingly, no matter where one lives, skin color matters. And while the women who lived in years past were judged harshly for their coffee-colored skin tones, in other ways, in other settings, women with lighter skin tones might be judged just as harshly. The nuances of life and love, of family ties and family fractures, and the “home” in Puerto Rico, all serve to make this a novel that would lead to rich discussion in a book club.
This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.