Neruda on the Park explores the age old question of “where is home”, is it a place? What is it? Home, she told herself, could be a place, a person, a feeling, at times, a profession, the end result of a long pursuit. A fluid thing, for sure, but precious.
I absolutely loved reading this book and I think a lot of people will enjoy it as well. In Neruda on the pack we meet the Guerreros, they have spent majority of their lives in Nothar Park, home to mostly Dominicans in New York. One day they wake up to see demolition taking place and a new condo being built. You know that this means… the neighbourhood is about to change.
Eusebia who came from the Dominican Republic with her husband Vladimir wants to fight the development, protect the people she’s come to know and love. Their daughter Luz, a budding attorney finds there are some benefits to the neighbourhood changing, it means she doesn’t have to go all the way into the City to do hot yoga (yay). Vladimir on the other hand, wants to take the payout and leave for his home in the Dominican Republic and retire there. A lot of people will be affected, some will have to leave home, to find their true home.
A well crafted tale about gentrification, agency, mother-daughter relationship and what it means to call a place home. The author does a great job of telling a well thought out story, and I loved that she told the story from the POV of the Luz and Eusebia. We get a deeper look into their motivation and how they justify their action. This is a such a great story about community, how coming together with one goal can lead to a victory.
A well done story that I want everyone to read!
