Ana Menéndez

3.75⭐️

“Homes also dream; they shelter themselves.”

Touching upon themes, of family, relationships, grief, war and trauma, immigration and the American Dream, The Apartment by Ana Menendez is an exceptionally well-written novel that combines elements of historical and contemporary fiction, magical realism and a bit of mystery. This reads like a series of short stories each of which features a tenant of an apartment unit in South Beach, Miami, which is the common thread. Apartment 2B of The Helena, an art deco apartment building in Miami, has been home to several tenants over the course of seven decades. Built on land that was historically inhabited by indigenous tribes who were gradually displaced due to colonization, The Helena was built in 1942 and has been home to army officers, artists and painters, veterans, widows and immigrants each of whom is brought to its doors for in search of love, hope, shelter and a place to belong. We also meet members of the maintenance staff and leasing agents who take care of the property in between occupancy.

Ana Menendez’s writing is beautiful and each of the characters and the premise of their individual storylines are well-developed. The narrative flows at a fast pace but I should mention, however, we only get to know about these characters for the duration of their residence in apartment 2B and we get hints about what transpired in a few of their lives after they left The Helena. Not all of these stories are happy ones – in fact, there is a sense of loss and despair that pervades the apartment and the lives of its tenants, each of whom leaves a part of themselves and their stories within the walls of the apartment – a vibe, an emotion, an aura. This is not an easy read. The stories revolve around several sensitive topics including PTSD, suicide, spousal abuse and much more. The author captures the loneliness, hopes and broken dreams of these characters with much clarity and compassion. However, we don’t get to meet the residents of the other units until the final 20% of the novel when we meet Lana,resident of 2B in 2012, an artist who is mourning a loved one and is being watched over by the spirit of a former tenant. While I enjoyed the trajectory of the final story and appreciated how it echoes the overall spirit of the novel, I did think the ending was a tad convoluted.

I was drawn to this novel on account of the premise and overall, I was not disappointed. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this novel to those who enjoy character-driven fiction. This is my first Ana Menendez novel and I look forward to exploring more of her work.

“Apartment 2B settles into itself. The light inside dims— a passing cloud shadow. These rooms are rarely empty. Painters, models, artists, mothers, fathers, strangers. For decades now, always someone wearing down the pine floors, someone’s breath disturbing the air. No one thinks that homes also need pauses, pockets of silence. Homes also need time to gather themselves, time to simply rest. All that sheltering and holding, that gets exhausting.”… (meer)

If you love beautiful writing, The Apartment is the book for you. I found myself lost in the language and read some of the passages aloud just to bask in its beauty. The apartment in the story is truly the main character. An art deco apartment built in Miami Beach in early 1940s. Each chapter focuses on the life of the current tenant. That said, it feels almost like a short story collection, however the apartment itself is the thread that follows through the entire book. Each of the tenants leave behind a certain energy and presence that are felt by each subsequent person that moves in. This book recalled to me the importance of place, the fragility of being human and the shared sense of home we all strive for.… (meer)

In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd is a collection of eleven short stories. The collection features a mix of fiction, meta-fiction and allegory. They explore a number of themes such as truth and memory, nostalgia, and dislocation. Largely set in Miami each story revolves around the experiences of Cuban immigrants and their American-born offspring and relate to personal relationships and immigration.

The first and last stories, “In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd” and “Her Mother’s House,” look at the experiences of first- and second-generation Cuban Americans.

In the first story, Máximo, emigrates to America along with his wife where they reinvent themselves as restaurateurs, however the sense of dislocation remains. After work, they and their staff of fellow Cuban immigrants exchange stories about Cuba that begin hopefully but end in despair as they realise their nostalgia for the past and the reality are two very different beasts.

In “Her Mother’s House”, Lisette, a reporter who grew up in Miami, travels to Cuba in the expectation that she will find the truth about her identity. Instead, she experiences the same cocktail of hope and despair felt by older immigrants.

Seven of the other stories work on a meta-fictional level: questioning the reliability of memory and charting the emotional toll of losing one’s home, whether that be a physical one (Cuba) or an emotional one (a relationship). The remaining four stories use allegory for much the same purpose.

Now I should point out at this juncture that I'm not usually a fan of short story collections as I generally find that some work whilst others don't for me. These are no different. I enjoyed some, 'The Perfect Fruit' and 'Story of a Parrot', whilst others less so, in particular 'Confusing the Saints' which felt out of step with the other stories. However, I did admire Ana Menendez's writing style and found the tales generally interesting and thought provoking.… (meer)