Beantown Cubans
Reviewed By Bob Hodges
Johnny Diaz’s lively novel finds two Miami Cubans landing jobs in Boston and becoming best buddies. Tommy Perez, like Diaz himself, writes stories about pop culture and Hispanic-related arts for a Boston paper. Tommy finds himself falling in love again with an alcoholic former boyfriend who is unstable and demanding.
Carlos Martin, a high school teacher, is a little more troubled. He has moved to Boston to get away from Miami, feeling uncomfortable being around just his father and his sister following his mother’s death. Carlos regularly dreams of his mother: They have lunch in their favorite Miami restaurant and she, as in life, gives him good advice. The good dreams continue, but they are unsettling. Carlos works on his family problems. His sister and father visit him, and he takes his sports-loving father to Fenway Park. Carlos then falls for a handsome Brazilian, but remains troubled and seeks therapy for depression.
The story ends happily, but not with romance. Diaz breaks from traditional “gay romance” molds, implying that self-esteem should not depend on finding Mr. Right. Personal integrity and a job you do well count for a lot more. The closet disappears as it should, no longer necessary.
The novel ends with a little joke for Diaz fans. Carlos and Tommy return for a visit to Miami, and at a restaurant table near them are the three guys from Diaz’s previous novel Miami Manhunt.