This is the first Rachel Kushner book I’ve read and I already ordered a couple more from her. So yes I enjoyed it.
The book is set in 1950s Cuba during the lead up to the revolution. At this time American companies owned many of the sugar plantations in Cuba and sent Americans to manage them. The story primarily follows the managers and their families with a couple extra colorful characters thrown in. Each chapter is told from one character's perspective and comes back to characters throughout.
The managers and their families live luxurious lives on a private street. The workers, mainly Haitians and Jamaicans, live in shacks. While there is a revolution brewing, the families try to continue on as if nothing will change. There is an assumption that the system will continue as is, with the intervention of the U.S. government if necessary. In the end, these are still managers, not owners. Their ability to see the bigger picture is limited. They came to do a job, to be a cog. When the revolution comes, they are interrupted at a party despite many signs that they should be taking the rebels seriously. When they are pushed out, it’s kind of just a “thing that happened” without much reflection. Only some of the children seem to (somewhat) understand the collective action later on.
A couple other interesting characters are a dancer with political connections and a french mercenary. Their chapters are a nice break from the plantation families.
The book’s depiction of 1950s Cuba feels very real. It shows how normal life continued for these families despite their imminent demise. The characters have rich inner lives and all have an angle that you want to keep following throughout the book.