Dreaming in Cuban Questions

Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.

  1. What techniques does García use to build a portrait of Cuba, a country that most of her readers will not have visited?
  2. The narrative structure of Dreaming in Cuban can be difficult to follow at times. What do you think was García's reason for using intertwining timelines, settings and narrative points of view?
  3. Why are some characters always presented in first person, while others are only narrated in third? How does the use of different narrative points of view affect your perception of the characters and the story?
  4. What is the importance of music and poetry to/in the novel?
  5. What is the tone of the work as a whole? Do you find it bleak? Hopeful? Something in between?