Mary K's Reviews > Before Night Falls

This was a different book, to say the least. Initially I was put off by the rampant impersonal sex the author describes - constantly - with literally hundreds of young men. I quit reading about a quarter of the way through but when I picked it back up, I was captivated. This is the story of a wild, unbridled, rebel soul. I learned so much about life in Cuba under 2 dictators, but mostly Castro. I have never read Arenas’s fiction but he was a well-known writer who suffered hugely in Cuba. He writes freely and vividly of the nightmare he endured trying to escape. Yet when he finally does he lands in the U.S. and feels lost and alone. So I learned a lot, also, about what refugees endure when they leave a home they never really wanted to leave. I googled the author about 3/4 of the way through this book so was prepared for the ending but I still sobbed. I love Arenas’s spirit and wildness and perseverance and bravery. I loved this book.