Wanda St. Hilaire’s 2009 memoir The Cuban Chronicles is an interesting read on several levels. Strictly as a travel memoir, the author does a good job of giving readers a peak behind the curtain of a neighboring country that has been either off-limits or forboding to Americans for so long.
Author Reveals Both the Beauty and the Desperation of Cuba and Cubans
St. Hilaire, a seasoned traveler and an honest, competent writer, paints a descriptive picture of the exotic aspects of Cuba, the turquoise ocean, the succulent fare, the scent of azaleas. She also necessarily reveals a Cuba—particularly in Havana—that is poverty-ridden, smothering, and by extension, desperate. Her knowledge of the political regime adds to this understanding.
The subtitle of St. Hilaire’s book—A True Tale of Rascals, Rogues and Romance—brings us to the other, more central theme/level of her tale. Written in the form of a diary entry/letter to her French confidante, this Cuban Chronicles becomes the story of the author’s quest for sexual adventure in a foreign land.
Some readers may be confounded by the contradictions in St. Hilaire’s attitude and reasoning when it comes to her pursuits. After admitting, for instance, that she prefers traveling in Latin countries (as opposed to European) because, as a blonde woman, she stands out, her gripes about unwanted attention just don’t ring true.
Similarly, while her trips seem to be primarily sex-driven (at one point she is juggling relationships with at least four men), she seems stunned when her risky choices lead to negative consequences. There’s no question, however, that it makes for interesting reading…it’s unlikely anyone will fall asleep while reading this one.
St. Hilaire's Exploits Serve as a Warning to Single Travelers
What could, at this point, devolve into “too much information” for the reader, is ultimately tied nicely by the author to that engrained desperation that seems to drive Cubans toward foreigners. Her precarious entanglements in the name of love and the revelations grasped become a sort of warning to travelers, particularly single females.
Finally, the diary-like structure does lead to a bit of confusion when St. Hilaire refers to some friends that we feel we should know about, but do not. This doesn’t subtract much from the story, however. Overall, Wanda St. Hilaire’s The Cuban Chronicles works on its various levels, as an informative diary of Cuban travel, a titillating tale of “exploits,” and a fair warning to travelers about an unfortunately desperate people.
St. Hilaire, Wanda. The Cuban Chronicles, 2009 iUniverse, 236 pp.
ISBN: 978-1-4401-3294-0
Dale Van Every - Dale Van Every is a freelance and fiction writer living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He earned his Masters Degree in English Literature from ...
Join the Conversation