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When the de La Cruz Family Danced

by Donna Miscolta (Goodreads Author)

4.43 of 5 stars 4.43 · rating details · 23 ratings · 18 reviews

During his one and only return visit to the Philippines, Johnny de la Cruz - plagued by a sense of isolation - succumbs to a quick sexual encounter with an old flame, the attractive and beguiling Bunny Piña.
Years later, nineteen-year-old Winston Piña has barely finished eulogizing his recently deceased mother when he finds a letter she wrote, but never sent, to Johnny. Thi...more

Paperback, 332 pages

Published June 28th 2011 by Signal 8 Press

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Apr 18, 2013 Amani rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow! I met Donna at a writer's colony this spring, and I knew then that she was a fantastic writer. But I had no idea just what an amazing storyteller she was until I read this novel. Her characters are richly drawn and she captures nuanced moments between them in a way that not only deepens our understanding of them, but of ourselves. The prose absolutely sings, and it is clear that the writer has taken great care to craft sentences where every word has weight. This novel is an important additi...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Kim Fay rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I read at the WordStock Festival in Portland this year, I was paired on stage with Donna Miscolta. We had never met, and it turned out that she is as gracious as her writing. There is something very gentle about Miscolta's writing, even though this story of the de la Cruz family is not a gentle story. It's sad and melancholy and harsh at moments, as the dying Johnny de la Cruz (who lives in Southern California) tries to figure out whether or not a young man named Winston is his son from a b...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Peggy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think this novel deserves to have national attention. Reading it very shortly after reading four novels that had major publishers and reviews in the New York Times Book Review I feel absolutely qualified to say that this gentle novel of a Filipino family is on par those I had just read by Leah Hager Cohen, Hilma Wolitzer and Margot Livesey. This isn't because I am slightly acquainted with the author it is despite of it. I think that a book by a small publisher faces a challenge just in its fir...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Gemma rated it 4 of 5 stars

Seeing a book on at the bookstore with my friend’s name on the spine gives me a vicarious thrill- but I open the book with a feeling of trepidation. What if I don’t like it? I cannot, like Che Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries, look my friend in the eye and flatly state, “Frankly, it was bad. You should stick to (insert day job here).” Perhaps that is why it took me six months after the release of “When the de la Cruz Family Danced” to get around to reading my coworker Donna Miscolta’s first pub...more Seeing a book on at the bookstore with my friend’s name on the spine gives me a vicarious thrill- but I open the book with a feeling of trepidation. What if I don’t like it? I cannot, like Che Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries, look my friend in the eye and flatly state, “Frankly, it was bad. You should stick to (insert day job here).” Perhaps that is why it took me six months after the release of “When the de la Cruz Family Danced” to get around to reading my coworker Donna Miscolta’s first published novel. I needn’t have worried.

Like Jane Austen, Donna has written a story where most of the action is internal to the characters. A young man questions his paternity, an old man reconsiders his treatment of his family, people grow a little. But this is no stuffy English comedy of manners. A mixed-race family living in a bad neighborhood in a strip-mall-ridden So-Cal town, the de la Cruzes have no fashion sense and few social skills. They are misfits even amongst each other, sharing little more as a family than a sense that everything they do is slightly skewed somehow. Here's an example from the book:

Johnny was not ignorant of his own shortcomings, especially when he saw them repeated in his daughters – the awkwardness and hesitancy with which they stumbled from childhood through adolescence to confused adulthood, in constant anticipation that life would begin to happen at any moment, but fearful at heart that it had already happened without them.

As the de la Cruz family moves through the non-events of a story tightly tied to the ordinary and mundane, they try so hard not to make mistakes, and yet never quite get anything right. Their repressed feelings and self-edited actions lend a strange flatness to their lives. The introduction of a handsome young man with a stylish haircut and good manners provides enough contrast to their restrained and awkward existence to throw everything off balance. The inevitable climax releases only some of the tension when it realistically comes not as a soap-operatic revelation, but a messy, typical family blow-out at a funeral. The lid is quickly put back on, and on the surface, life continues as before. Although hopeful, any lasting changes are slight, and are not quite acknowledged by the family.

Donna’s carefully written novel consistently struck me with its wise observations of average humans in scenes like this one:

“I thought you might have bought green beans,” he said.

Tessie was silent a moment. “Well, dear,” she said finally, “I’m not a mind reader.”

Johnny acknowledged this with a disappointed nod. “It doesn’t matter,” he said. But it did matter, because some couples knew such things about each other. He knew it was his fault that he and Tessie did not.

These moments are almost casually scattered on each evocative page. She captures feelings of awkwardness and insecurity with painful accuracy. Although it is a work of fiction, “When the de la Cruz Family Danced” contains more truth than you are likely to find almost anywhere else.
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Aug 05, 2011 T. Edmund rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reading this book is like finding yourself surrounded by the de la Cruz family, sharing their joy, laughter, pain and passion. Miscolta's talent lies in building an authentic world that readers can practically touch, and leading us through journies as varied as any in 'real' life.

The novel's story hinges on Johnny de la Cruz and his family, and the arrival of a young man named Winston, whose origins have the potential to pull the famiy apart, or put it together again. But rather than reading lik...more

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Jul 08, 2011 Malcolm rated it 5 of 5 stars

The slice-of-life scenes in Donna Miscolta's tightly written "When the de la Cruz Family Danced" create an elegant portrait of a Southern California family suspended between its first and second generation Filipino origins, its "Little Manila" neighborhood and the outside world, and between familial cohesiveness and individual freedom. As the novel begins, the family is mired in a stasis that has crept uninvited into its home through the dynamics of time, illness, aging and lack of attention.

Als...more The slice-of-life scenes in Donna Miscolta's tightly written "When the de la Cruz Family Danced" create an elegant portrait of a Southern California family suspended between its first and second generation Filipino origins, its "Little Manila" neighborhood and the outside world, and between familial cohesiveness and individual freedom. As the novel begins, the family is mired in a stasis that has crept uninvited into its home through the dynamics of time, illness, aging and lack of attention.

Also uninvited, a young man named Winston comes into their home because he believes he might be Johnny de la Cruz's unacknowledged--and perhaps, unknown--son. Nineteen years earlier, Johnny made his only return trip to the Philippines to visit his family. While there, he had an unplanned sexual encounter with an old flame. Since they never spoke again, Johnny didn't know Bunny Piña subsequently separated from her husband and moved to California with her son Winston. Winston didn't know about the de la Cruz family until he found an un-mailed letter to Johnny hidden among his mother's mementos when she died.

Lost after his mother's death, Winston wants to know more about Johnny even though he cannot articulate exactly why. He wonders whether Bunny meant to mail the letter and simply forgot it or whether she chose to remain silent. The sentiments include "since you so gallantly made your escape from my couch that afternoon" and "we each had our reasons for what happened." Does this suggest that Johnny is Winston's biological father? While Winston isn't sure, he wants to get to the heart of the secret Bunny never shared.

When he finds Johnny dying of cancer and the rest of the family suspicious of his motives for appearing on its doorstep, Winston simply says he's Bunny's son. He says he didn't know if Johnny heard that Bunny moved to the U.S. or that she had recently died. At this point, readers might expect Winston to leave after suffering through a few days of the de la Cruz family's polite but disinterested company or that he will produce the letter and ask, "Johnny, are you my father?"

Instead, Miscolta carefully inserts Johnny into the family's life. None of them are quite sure why he's still there, but he's nice enough. He helps Tessie look after Johnny, partly by keeping him company. While the slice-of-life details about family life, shown from the viewpoints of each of the family members, do slow down the development of the plot, they paradoxically add great depth to the novel and to the reader's understanding of the family itself.

Miscolta has created poignant story about a family (with secrets) that very much needs to find itself within the multicultural world of Southern California. The story revolves around one dual question: will Winston come and go and soon be forgotten or will he be the catalyst for something more long term and meaningful? All of the characters step close and then step away from that question like awkward beginners at a club who haven't yet learned how to dance.

"When the de la Cruz Family Danced" is a highly recommended waltz of well-crafted prose and endearing characters.

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Oct 30, 2011 Meg - A Bookish Affair rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, fiction

Johnny de la Cruz has felt that he kind of doesn't belong with his family. He loves his wife but she seems distant. He doesn't really know how to relate to his three daughters who for the most part are now out on their own. When Winston comes out of nowhere asking if Johnny knew his deceased mother, Bunny, Johnny thinks he may be able to start putting back the pieces of what he thinks is missing out of his life. Winston charms the entire de la Cruz family but there is more than meets the eye.

I r...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Dana Burgess rated it 5 of 5 stars

Confession time: I judged a book by it's cover. Well, actually by it's title. Usually I am adamant about not doing that and rely instead on the synopsis. In this case, I was totally vindicated in my choice. This book has found its place on my top 100 list (still in progress).

As you know, if you have spent any time reading my reviews, I almost never include a run down of the plot. There are lots of places, on the web and off, that carry info as to the plot line of a book - my blog is for reviews....more Confession time: I judged a book by it's cover. Well, actually by it's title. Usually I am adamant about not doing that and rely instead on the synopsis. In this case, I was totally vindicated in my choice. This book has found its place on my top 100 list (still in progress).

As you know, if you have spent any time reading my reviews, I almost never include a run down of the plot. There are lots of places, on the web and off, that carry info as to the plot line of a book - my blog is for reviews. 'When the de la Cruz Family Danced' is going to be one of those exceptions because I feel like the blurb on the back of the book doesn't do the book justice.

Johnny de la Cruz is old and sick - maybe even in the process of dying, but before that happens he feels the need to reconnect with his family and come to terms with what his life has been.

Winston Pina is a young man and, with his mother's recent death and his father's not so recent abandonment, now an orphan. He finds a letter his mother had written to an old friend and never sent and decides to follow where it might lead. In the process he will redefine who he is and come to terms with his life, both with and without, his parents.

In the process of each finding their way through very different stages in their lives, the two men become integral parts of each other's journeys.

Donna Miscolta has written an amazing novel. It is rich with feeling and thought. I absolutely fell in love with Johnny. Although he was not an easy character to get to know, the process of getting to know him felt real and never like a chore. More like the process we all go through in getting to know a new friend. In fact, all of the characters were very real and acted true to their personalities throughout the story. This was one of those novels I ended up so totally immersed in, that when I had to put the book down, it would take me a minute to reorient myself to reality. I love it when that happens! I laughed out loud, I cried, I fell in love with this family and their friends. Truly a masterpiece. (less)

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Jul 31, 2011 Casey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: teenreads-goodreads-giveaways, books-i-own

When the De La Cruz Family Danced is a great story. even from the start, the two sides of the story tied in beautifully with eachother. I think the author did a great job of bringing Bunny into the story, mentioning her casually on the first page, and then we could see how big of a character she was throughout the rest of the book. essentially the story was about peace, and how Johnny de la Cruz and his family, with the help of Winston, came to achieve it. the sense of family that the family had...more

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May 15, 2011 Marshall rated it 5 of 5 stars

Again, I'm probably breaking a rule or two here, because as the publisher, obviously I'm biased. Donna published the prologue in Cha, an online literary journal of Asian writing. The story was vivid and immersive, and it left me wanting to know what happened to the characters next. So I tracked her down (on Facebook, if memory serves) and sent an e-mail to introduce myself. And, a year and a half (or so) later, here we are. The characters in this book have stayed with me, and not just because of...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Peter Tieryas-Liu rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a great read exploring family and relationships. It starts off in 1971 with Johnny de la Cruz having a brief affair with Bunny who was Miss Sampaguita in 1946. The book then jumps ahead to 1990 and revolves around Winston Pina as he interacts with the de la Cruz family. The characters are humorous and memorable, and the writing is beautiful as she creates a living family with all its quirks. I loved the prose and one of my favorite parts is:

"Whenever Johnny considered that hot, stifling...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Irene rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite, gave-away

The title and cover art of WHEN the de la Cruz Family DANCED (June 2011) suggests a genuine expectation of an amicable "la dolce vita" family narrative. However, any imminent likelihood of such a cursory expectation is abruptly squelched on page 21,

"…No one had said he was dying. And though no one had assured him he would recover, no one had said he would not…"

This incredibly astute debut novel profoundly delves into one man's deep-seated complexities, which lie tethered to his Filipino quixotic...more The title and cover art of WHEN the de la Cruz Family DANCED (June 2011) suggests a genuine expectation of an amicable "la dolce vita" family narrative. However, any imminent likelihood of such a cursory expectation is abruptly squelched on page 21,

"…No one had said he was dying. And though no one had assured him he would recover, no one had said he would not…"

This incredibly astute debut novel profoundly delves into one man's deep-seated complexities, which lie tethered to his Filipino quixotic roots, and evocatively reveals how easily fragile family relationships can disintegrate when one person's isolation weaves a web of loneliness that encompasses all. Johnny's listless and daily introspection slowly creates fissures between his wife Tessie and his adult daughters Josie, Laura, and Sara. Despite his family's outwardly concerned and devoted posture, Johnny appears continually distracted and distrusting of their relentless presence and sycophantic efforts to enhance his cancer-ridden life. His perceptive personal thoughts offer ample proof that he has reservations about his wife's mysterious "errands," from which Tessie often returns a bit disheveled, and his disparate remarks regarding his adult daughters' lives evolve into a discernible detachment. Yet, faithful adherence to one generational old-world ritual persists as Johnny, Tessie, and his adult daughters gather for their Sunday dinners.

In a California city close by, sorting through his recently deceased mother Bunny's personal effects, nineteen-year-old Winston Piña unexpectedly finds a faded letter in an envelope addressed to Johnny de la Cruz. He reads it and wonders why his obsessively detail-oriented mother chose not to mail it. Spontaneous thoughts surface about his father's inexplicable departure to Ireland from the Philippines, never to return. Intelligent, charming, and curious, he decides to locate and visit Johnny—thereby unwittingly setting in motion the metaphorical "dance." Emerging secrets, past relationships, and vivid recollections provide the dynamic catalyst which surprisingly awakens this listless, somnolent family. Reflecting upon past joyful memories strengthens their personal resolve to be positively realistic, not only in the face of each individual's future, but also as an enduring committed family.

Adroitly written with characters as unique as this family's history, WHEN the de la Cruz Family DANCED does not falter nor does it disappoint. The amusing moments will charm, the unfulfilled dreams will crush, the candid emotions will disturb, but the palpable poignancy will endure.

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Feb 22, 2012 Julie Smith (Knitting and Sundries) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: julie-s-2012-read-many-books-challe, reviewed

This review first appeared on my blog: http://www.knittingandsundries.com/20...

This is an interesting family story centering around Johnny de la Cruz - now suffering from a debilitating illness - and the choices he makes, as well as the lives of his wife and daughters and a young man named Winston who may or may not be the product of a long-ago, one-time encounter with a high school flame on a visit to the Philippines.

It is quietly reflective, illuminating both the rueful emotions of family memb...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Seisen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great book and the author is a National City homey. Book is set in national City (called Kimball Park). Great book and a lot of touches that ring true about life in Nat'l City. Like going to the beach in La Jolla to be cool and feeling really out of place and the relief about being back on the Strand. Got it at the national City library natch.

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Jun 26, 2012 Christine Valentino rated it 1 of 5 stars

I don't understand why everyone has rated this book so highly. I thought the story was slow & boring.

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Jan 05, 2013 Jan Pippins rated it 5 of 5 stars

Outstanding, beautifully written family saga both poignant and funny. One to savor and re-read.

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Jul 05, 2011 Serafina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Poignant, intelligent. The characters yearn for connection; the novel left me aching for them.

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Jul 11, 2011 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a book that sneaks up on you. It is a story of a Phillipino-American family who are changed when a young man loosely connected with the family whose mother has recently died enters the story. I was caught up with the characters and figuring out their relationships, but as you keep reading, the story becomes more compelling and beautifully and touchingly comes together at the end.

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Oct 23, 2011 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: goodreads-giveaway, october-2011

I really enjoyed this story and reading about the characters. I loved reading about families and their experiences together, the struggles they face and the emotions were so raw. This story has so much depth and insight into family life. This is one I will want to read over and over again.

This is a Goodreads-giveaway.

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Jan 03, 2012 Jennifer Munro rated it 5 of 5 stars

A quiet book with terrific writing that I am slowly savoring. Nice to own it and not have to rush it back to the library.

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May 13, 2013 Angela marked it as to-read

Apr 18, 2013 Maree Cox-Baker marked it as to-read

Apr 03, 2013 OneBook OneSanDiego added it

Shelves: 2013-nominated-books

Mar 03, 2013 Dorinda marked it as to-read

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Dec 10, 2012 Heather marked it as to-read

Sep 02, 2012 Elizabeth Austen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jul 03, 2012 Lateesha marked it as to-read

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11254998-when-the-de-la-cruz-family-danced?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327935783l/11254998.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11254998-when-the-de-la-cruz-family-danced?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]When the de La Cruz Family Danced by Donna Miscolta[/url]

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