Startling, yet cliched...

The story is quick to capture one's attention, yet the drama soon turns to fluff in its abundance of super-natural occurances and extreme descriptions. Yes, it tries hard to come across as "magical realism" in the purest Latin American form; however, it eventually reads like cliched kiosk litterature. By the end of the novel I was simply tired of reading about those magnificent emerald eyes and pomegranate lips...
The incestous plot could have been just as interesting without the parties being such captivating beauties and "extreme" in all their actions. Even the repetitious love-making scenes are described with the nuance of Danielle Steele...
The story does include interesting elements of the struggle to be of South American origin living in the US, and the descriptions of the contrast between those who consider themselves "exiles" and those who remain "Cuban-to-the-bone" are colorful.
Overall a quick, but ultimately unsatisfying read. ( )