Havana Fever by Leonardo Padura
Havana, 2003, fourteen years since Mario Conde retired from the police force and much has changed in Cuba. He now makes a living trading in antique books bought from families selling off their libraries in order to survive.
In the house of Alcides de Montes de Oca, a rich Cuban who fled after the fall of Batista, Conde discovers an extraordinary book collection and, buried therein, a newspaper article about Violeta del Rio, a beautiful bolero singer of the 1950’s, who disappeared mysteriously. Conde’s intuition sets him off on an investigation that leads him into a darker Cuba, now flooded with dollars, populated by pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers and other hunters of the night.
But this novel also allows Padura to evoke the Havana of Batista, the city of a hundred night clubs where Marlon Brando and Josephine Baker listened to boleros, mambos and jazz. Probably Padura’s best book, Havana Fever is many things: a suspenseful crime novel, a cruel family saga and an ode to literature and his beloved, ravaged island.
About the author
Leonardo Padura was born in 1955 in Havana and lives in Cuba. He is a novelist, essayist, journalist and scriptwriter. Havana Fever has been published in Cuba, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Germany and France.
Review
‘Havana Fever’ is much more than a crime novel it is a love letter to Cuba, a look into the past and how its society could have developed and how it's people have coped in its recent history. This is woven deeply and tightly into the mystery aspect of the story. This is a slow burn of a book, one that lingers on it's description of people, places and culture. That's the beauty of the story it winds you around its finger without you realising it. You then finding yourself contemplating the characters and find yourself searching Spotify for all the music which is mentioned! I am a new reader to this series but you can read it as a standalone as its a big time shift from Conde’s time in the police force. Although I think I will go back and read the rest of the series as I enjoyed the location of sultry Cuba and Conde’s intelligence and personality.
Mario Conde has been retired for ten years from the Cuban police force. He is now a used and rare book dealer but it can be hard to make a living doing this. That is until he discovers a library untouched for nearly 50 years full of rare and precious treasures. The rich owner, Alcides de Montes de Oca, fled after the fall of Batista and left two custodians to look after the library. Inside one of the books Conde finds an article about a young bolero singer, Violeta del Rio, from the 1950s and this leads him a merry dance through the past…
This is definitely a book of two halves, like a vinyl record, the first half sets the scene of Condes life, his love of books plus the trail for Violeta is laid. Side B is where the crime story really kicks off. I am glad I preserved with the story to second part as it really kicks up a gear. Now I enjoyed the first half don't get wrong as I adore rare books and the history of that era. I went down many a rabbit hole as even though I studied Soviet History at university the most I studied was around the missile crisis etc. So I was fascinated with learning about Cuba in this period. However, I can understand how some might struggle with that section.
I really resonated with Conde, especially with his band of rascals. It shows how when adversary hits communities it can either make or break relationships but in this case it strengthens their bonds and I loved reading all about them. Conde shows a level of empathy I coould relate with, plus he loves books. How could I not love him?!
Let me know if you read this one!
