THE TASTE OF SUGAR (Liveright) and IF I BRING YOU ROSES (Grand Central)

Named one of the “50 most anticipated books of 2020” by Entertainment Weekly

“Enthralling….a passionate love story purified in the crucible of suffering….intimate and finely drawn details are nested within a masterful work of historical fiction that traces monumental economic and political currents.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post

It is 1898, and groups of starving Puerto Ricans roam the parched countryside and dusty towns begging for food. Under the yoke of Spanish oppression, the Caribbean island is forced to prepare to wage war with the United States. Up in the mountainous coffee region of Utuando, Vicente Vega and Valentina Sánchez labor to keep their small farm from creditors. When the Spanish-American War and the great San Ciriaco hurricane of 1899 bring devastating upheaval, the young couple is lured, along with thousands of other puertorriqueños, to the sugar plantations of Hawaii–another U.S. territory–where they are confronted by the hollowness of America’s promises of prosperity. Written in the tradition of great Latin American storytelling, Marisel Vera’s THE TASTE OF SUGAR is an unforgettable novel of love and endurance, and a timeless portrait of the reasons we leave home.

Marisel Vera is a Chicago writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. Through her work, Vera explores the particular burdens that Puerto Ricans, on the island and in the diaspora, carry as colonial subjects of the most powerful country in the world. She is currently at work on a novel about four Puerto Rican girls growing up in 1970’s Chicago, The Girls from Humboldt Park (working title).

Praise for THE TASTE OF SUGAR

“Subtle yet arresting, THE TASTE OF SUGAR is a gorgeous feat of storytelling. Marisel Vera melds meticulous research with deep compassion and pure talent to fashion a novel that excavates the pain of history while drawing hope from the buried stories of our nation. This is historical fiction as its best, using the moral dilemmas of the past to decipher our present conflicts in order to light our way toward a more just future.”
—Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage

“This illuminating work of historical fiction sheds light on a forgotten chapter of the American story through characters who burrow into your bones and whisper in your ear.” –O Magazine

“Set in Puerto Rico on the eve of the Spanish American War, this remarkable historical novel is one of home, family bonds and the broken promises of the American Dream. This is grand, impassioned storytelling.” —Karla Strand, Ms. Magazine

“Historical fiction at its best.” —Booklist

“Vera follows the shifting fortunes of a Puerto Rican family after U.S. occupation in this intense, emotional saga.” —Publishers Weekly

“Vera’s breakout novel is a sweeping, emotional tale.” —Kirkus

“Vera takes the shards of history and creates a fully realized and compelling novel.” —”5 Hot Books,” The National Book Review

IF I BRING YOU ROSES

Set in Puerto Rico in the 40s and Chicago in the 50s, IF I BRING YOU ROSES follows the fortunes of Felicidad Hidalgo and Aníbal Acevedo as they wrestle with the marriage they’ve rushed into. Felicidad works behind the counter in her aunt’s island bakery, serving the town’s busybodies, and dreams of the family she hasn’t seen in nearly a decade, especially of the mother who took to the roof of their home in the mountains in a frenzy of grief and madness.  The day Aníbal enters the bakery in search of a wife is the day Felicidad dares to imagine a different life.  Soon the two are married and Felicidad is keeping house in Aníbal’s Chicago apartment, lavishing care on her husband.  But Felicidad’s virtue begins to sap Aníbal’s strength, and chafing at the restraints of marriage and the humiliations of his job in a factory, he takes up with a woman who is everything Felicidad is not:  independent, reckless, promiscuous, demanding.  Felicidad decides that the moment has come to be reborn in America.  How she finds her voice—and Aníbal learns to hear her—is at the heart of this luminous novel.

Praise for IF I BRING YOU ROSES

“[A] richly told tale of obsessive love…deeply sensual and mysterious.” —Cristina Garcia

“A stunning novel of love and longing.  This is amazing debut by a gifted author.”  —Lorraine M. López, author of The Realm of Hungry Spirits

“A deeply felt and satisfying tale that brings attention to the courage required to sustain hope, love, and passion as a stranger in a new land.”  —Jonis Agee, author of The River Wife

“Everything you want in a novel—flawed, complicated characters, lush descriptions, breathtaking plot, and a fierce beating heart.” —Tayari Jones, author of Silver Sparrow

“Rich with fascinating detail and engaging characters.” —Rosellen Brown, author of Before and After: A Novel