Book Review: ‘Hotel Cuba: A Novel’ By Aaron Hamburger

After WWI Pearl, and her younger sister Frieda are sent to the United States to live with their sister, where they are turned away and sent to Cuba. They find a home, and work with a nice couple, and try to figure out how to get to the United States. Pearl becomes a great seamstress, and designer, and soon has a lot of work for rich women. Frieda figures out a way to get to the US by smuggling in, and hopefully not getting caught. Frieda makes it, reunites with her sister, and makes plans with her finance, who is also there. Pearl meets a man in Havana, and he seems like a nice guy, but she has a shocking secret she has to live with. She’s trying to make plans to go to the US, the first time being caught, and sent back. She tries again, and this makes it. But not everything is as it seems like it would be, and Pearl and Frieda have to learn to live whole new lives in a new country. This is a great look at what life was like for Jews in Cuba, and what it was like trying to get into the US, and make a new life. You follow along with these two young women, and hope they can succeed.

You can pick up Hotel Cuba in stores on Tuesday, May 2nd.