Killing the Butterfly

KILLING THE BUTTERFLY: A Cuban Memoir of Democracy's Demise describes life in Havana, during the 1950's, a turbulent decade that ended with the rise of Fidel Castro. Olga, an eighty-five-year-old woman, is retelling her life as a teenager in Havana. Through exquisite storytelling, blended with magical realism, the reader is transported to Olga's childhood home, her parent's rocky divorce and her courtship with Carlos, a young lawyer whose father is a political figure. In the backdrop is the political deterioration of the island, and the rebel movement led by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Using testimonies from his family members, Marquez-Sterling transports the reader to an island where the interests of the American mafia, corrupt politicians, and revolutionary figures like the Che Guevara collide, illustrating the socio-political conditions that created the authoritarian government of Fidel Castro.