The Red Umbrella

Gonzalez, Christina Diaz. The Red Umbrella. 2010. 284p. ISBN 0-375-86190-4. Available at FIC GON on the library shelves.

Lucía and her family live in Cuba. Two years ago, Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries seized power, and up to the beginning of 1961 it has had limited impacts on Lucía and her younger brother. Her parents, however, have noticed the change. When soldiers show up in town and begin executing perceived enemies of the state, the Álvarez siblings are witnesses. School is cancelled for the rest of the year, as the government attempts to redefine what a Cuban education should be like. The imposition of communist values on her small town change life for the worse. People are now disappearing and are not being seen again. Neighbors begin to inform on other neighbors. Lucía loses access to her beloved American fashion magazines. Her father, who works at the bank, is under tremendous pressure to conform to new values.

As the situation degrades and oppression increases, Lucía feels the tension. When she stumbles upon the hanging body of the town pharmacist, it is too much. Her illusions are shattered. Her best friend, meanwhile, wholly adopts the communist outlook and is drifting away from Lucía. Her father loses his job at the bank and is arrested for hiding his money in the house’s floor. With all the uncertainty, the family is faced with a stark choice: Remain here and fight the oppression at the risk of their lives, or flee.

Lucía and her brother obtain departure visas and are sent to Nebraska, where they meet the Bakers, their foster parents. As things continue to get worse in Cuba, the children will now have to adapt to a new environment and a new language. At first they hope this exile will only be temporary but as time drags on they realize that their identity is already changing.

A coming-of-age novel coupled with a traumatic forced migration, The Red Umbrella focuses on Lucía’s growth as a person and her resilience in the face of life-changing events. Fans of Lucky Broken Girl, which also deals with Cuban immigrant attempting to adapt to life in a new country.