2023-10-18
A young Cuban boy struggles to follow his own path in Sebring’s 18th-century-set historical novel.
In 1752, José Albañez Velázquez is a happy child living in the small Cuban coastal town of Matanzas. His mother, Faustina Velázquez, like José and his younger sister, Magdalena, is a “pardo,” a person of mixed race, with both white and African heritage. His white father, Roberto Albañez, is from Scotland. Once a seaman, he is now a carpenter; José’s dream is to join his father in the trade. Roberto’s brother, Tío Domingo, is a privateer and the half-owner of three vessels. Much to young José’s distress, he has extracted a promise from Roberto to take José to sea with him when he is older and designate him as his heir. Two hurricanes rage across Matanza in the autumn of 1752, causing massive destruction and loss of life. José, Magdelena, and their parents move to the bustling city, where their lives take on new excitement. Sebring’s family-centered narrative moves at a leisurely (at times slow) pace and doesn’t become seriously tense until the final scenes. But this slow burn gives the author time to develop José as a character confronting the challenges of growing into early adulthood, and the tale is enriched by the extensive detailing of the multi-ethnic and complex societal make-up of the island’s populace. Fans of all things nautical should enjoy the elaborate descriptions of all manner of sailing vessels, equipment, and procedures (“her paint shone as the waves splashed off the bow, her rigging was well-tarred and her spars properly oiled. Every line was coiled down, every working sheet suitably belayed”), as well as the intricacies of privateering. The novel offers readers a primer on 18th-century European sea-faring history and a look at the tragedy of slavery in addition to the youthful adventures.
Filled with intriguing Cuban history and helmed by an engaging hero, but intermittently plodding.
