Let It Rain Coffee

by Angie Cruz

Angie Cruz has established herself as a dazzling new voice in Latin American fiction, her writing compared to Gabriel García Márquez's by The Boston Globe. Now, with humor, passion, and intensity, she reveals the proud members of the Colón family and the dreams, love, and heartbreak that bind them to their past and the future.

Esperanza risked her life fleeing the Dominican Republic for the glittering dream she saw on television, but years later she is still stuck in a cramped tenement with her husband, Santo, and their two children, Bobby and Dallas. She works as a home aide and, at night, hides unopened bills from the credit card company where Santo won't find them when he returns from driving his livery cab.

When Santo's mother dies and his father, Don Chan, comes to Nueva York to live out his twilight years with the Colóns, nothing will ever be the same. Don Chan remembers fighting together with Santo in the revolution against Trujillo's cruel regime, the promise of who his son might have been, had he not fallen under Esperanza's spell.

Let It Rain Coffee is a sweeping novel about love, loss, family, and the elusive nature of memory and desire.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Latinx, Novels, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, New York

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 2005

About the author

Angie Cruz was conceived in Dominican Republic and born in 1972 in New York City's Washington Heights. She continued to travel to and from, every summer, until she was sixteen years old. She went to La Guardia High School concentrating on Visual Arts and by default decided to follow a path in Fashion Design at Fashion Institute of Technology. During those four years of college, she worked as a salesperson, manager and then window designer in an upscale Madison Ave. boutique. In 1993, four of her children stories were featured on BET's Story Porch. Soon after, she gave up her fashionista lifestyle to become a full-time college student at SUNY Binghamton where her love affair with literature and history began. She graduated from the NYU, MFA program in 1999. Her passion for literature fueled her desire to be active in community. In 1997, she co-founded WILL: Women In Literature & Letters with Adelina Anthony and Marta Lucia, an organization that produced readings, workshops, and a conference using literature as a tool to build community and transform society. In 2000, WILL was put on hold due to lack of resources and the women's desire to make more time to write. Angie Cruz has contributed shorter works to numerous periodicals including Latina Magazine, Callaloo and New York Times. She has won awards for her writing and/or activist work such as The New York Foundation of The Arts Fellowship, Barbara Deming Award, Yaddo, and The Camargo Fellowship. She published two novels, Soledad and Let It Rain Coffee. She currently is working on the screenplay for Soledad, optioned by Nueva York Productions and working on her third novel.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first saw this book on a Florida professor's class list of contemporary Latin American literature, and weeks later, someone recommended it as a light read for a beach trip I took with the hubby (although now I'm wondering if I should've taken Barthes's A Lover's Discourse: Fragments so that I could lose my footing and once again become "too literary," as my husband puts it, at a dinner discussion). I wouldn't call this a light read, even with its simple sentence structure; rather, I'd say it's a fascinating read of country and culture.

Peel away the surfaced layer and at its core, at its best, this story showcases longing: longing for home, purpose, a place in the world, those things that weave the common thread of humanity; it highlights the aftermath of displacement, the permanent hold it has on generations. Don Chan, a Chinese, is washed ashore a city in the Dominican Republic when he's a child. Later, he marries the woman who found and took care of him. On her deathbed, he takes care of her and loses a piece of himself when she dies. Afterwards, he goes to New York, or Nueva York as he calls it, to live with his son and peculiar daughter-in-law, and still finds that death trails his family, yet eludes him. Don Chan's loneliness and frustrated existence without his homeland is brought to the surface even in a minute exchange with his daughter-in-law over his need for a doctor visit and medication:

For as long as he could remember, everything he ate was clean. Clean like the earth. Brown rice, steamed spinach, fresh beans without an ounce of seasoning except for fresh garlic, onions, and a dash of salt to awaken the nutrients. Fresh-squeezed juices. All from his backyard. He drank boiled water, which he put through a filter he changed every three months, and he never forgot to gulp a teaspoon of olive oil in the morning and cod-liver oil in the night to grease the bones.

I wasn't a fan of the story arc, but the novel is beautiful and compact in some places, and language is experimented with, some sprinkles strategically placed within dialogue. It's easy to have a moment of geographical confusion: San José de los Llanos, the Dominican municipality, or simply Los Llanos (as written in the novel), a plain in Venezuela, (which doesn't make sense because at this stage we're now in South America, but you get the gist). Through Don Chan's story, I visited Santo Domingo, the largest city in the Dominican Republic and the largest city in the Caribbean, by way of backstory and historical additions - albeit in a cerebral way, not with the sort of intimacy I'd imagined.

[Holly R W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a multi-faceted and fascinating portrait of three generations of the fictional Colon family. Don Chan, who arrived in the Dominican Republic as a Chinese orphan, is the aging patriarch. His son Santo and Santo's wife, Esperanza, live in Nuevo York (NYC) with their two children, Bobby and Dallas. Don Chan comes to live with his children, after the death of his wife. At the time of Don Chan's arrival, he is already showing signs of dementia.

All of the members of the family became real to me as I read the novel. The author particularly developed Don Chan's and Esperanza's personalities. When younger, Don Chan saw himself as a revolutionary, working with his neighbors to overthrow the dictator, Trujillo. He has a passionate love for his country and does not want to be living in Nuevo York. He also has a dislike of Esperanza.

Esperanza does not pine for the Dominican Republic. Even though life is difficult in Nuevo York, she envisions it as a stepping stone to a better life for herself and her family. She is attracted to pretty clothes and jewelry. Esperanza applies for credit cards, not understanding about compounding interest and debt.

I am skimming the surface with the above descriptions. Esperanza has much more depth to her. This book is all about life. The complexities of living together in a family are looked at: marriage, work, teens and aging. It's all there.

There is a lot of sadness and some disturbing story lines. Despite feeling teary at times, I found the book to be well worth reading.

Content Warning: Violence, Sex

4.5 stars

[Bryce Van Vleet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm strongly of two minds with this one. 3 stars feels more accurate as a result, but I loved the ending too much to snub it of a star. I can see what people mean when they say Cruz's voice echos Gabriel García Márquez. My biggest criticism of this was similar to that in One Hundred Years of Solitude. The plot feels very tired and repetitive. After a while, the events in the book become predictable, and the "shock" value wore off fast. I felt like reading it was a chore as a result.

That said, I loved this for the same reason as One Hundred Years... . The literary merit is phenomenal. I loved what Cruz did with gender roles and how she fleshed out the complexities of her characters so that I didn't so much know if I loved or hated Miraluz. Do I think Esperanza is an idiot or doing her best? I love when I can't pin a character to the ground. Her musings on memory - at the micro, mezzo, and macro sense - was also fascinating and compelling.

Overall, I'm really glad I was forced to read this, because I don't think I would have otherwise. It definitely wasn't my favorite novel, but I think it's value is in what it says, not how it says it.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before reading this review, you really must learn something about the history of the Dominican Republic. The majority of the flashbacks concerned the Presidency of Trujillo, but there are other aspect of the country's history that are essential to understanding the story. Also, if your Spanish is as bad as mine, you might not know the exact meaning of about 10% of the dialogue, but you can pick it up within the context. Do not let that scare you off from this amazing book. I just finished it in a 4 hour reading spurt and really and truly felt as if I had been caught completely within the Colon family. [return][return]*****Spoiler: Santo, Don Chan's son, dies very early in the book, but his death is pivotal to the story***** [return][return]The majority of the book revolves around Esperanza and Don Chan, their fractured relationship, and its impact on Bobby and Dallas, Esperanza and Santo's children. Don Chan joins the family in New York shortly after his wife dies in the Dominican Republic. Don Chan and Esperanza have never seen eye-to-eye, as Esperanza remembers the Dominican Republic (the D.R.) as a dirty, foul, poor country to attempt to scratch out a living. She is addicted to the drama "Dallas," and is determined to live the life of the Ewings. To that end, she is is ducking calls from collection agencies about her credit card bills and working double shifts as a home-care nurse in order to make ends meet and provide for the family. To do so, she must leave her children in the care of her father-in-law, Don Chan, who is elderly and beginning to suffer from Alzheimer's. [return][return]Don Chan, on the other hand, remembers the DR as a country of promise and expectation, especially after the fall of Trujillo. During Trujillo's reign, Don Chan was an "Invisible," working underground against Trujillo and his regime. But when Trujillo is killed and Dona Caridad dies, Don Chan loses his will to fight, preferring to impart his wisdom on the next generation and wonder about what could have been. Left to care for his grandchildren, he laments Santo's death and the fact that Santo chose to follow Esperanza to New York rather than work for change in the DR. [return][return]As the book progresses, Santo's death creates new meaning for all the members of the Colon family, the realization that they must stop believing that life owes them something (whether it is an 8-bedroom ranch, a leather jacket, or a democratic government) and instead embrace life as an opportunity, a chance to change their situations and embrace the future. This realization is hardest for Esperanza, as she has lived all her life with the goal of being just like the Ewings (off "Dallas") but when she comes face-to-face with J.R. Ewing, she finally begin to see life as it is instead of the way she always assumed it would be handed to her. Her actions and behavior sets the stage for the final, moving pages of the book, were it becomes clear that Santo's death, more than his life, has finally inspired his family to move forward and change their lives. [return][return]I can't write much more without giving away the entire book, but I can say that for every student of Latin American culture, this book should be required reading. Angie Cruz should be commended for this excellent addition to the fiction bookshelves, not just the Latin American fiction bookshelves.

[Katie Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swimming in vibrant visual language, Cruz takes us from the Dominican Republic to Neuva York.

Chef Cruz has curated a story which so perfectly balances the horrors of dictatorship, the chasm of the class divide, media brainwashing, consumerism, individual want and desire, the conflicting obligation of family, racism, mortality and yet how stunning our existence is.

[Raquel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay novel about a Dominican family that leaves DR to make it in the US. Esperanza and her husband, Santo, have two children (Bobby and Dallas) and live in a tenement in New York City. The family is in America because Esperanza became obsessed with reruns of the soap opera Dallas that she watched in DR and she decided that life in America would be better than life in the DR. Santo's father, Don Chan, comes to live with the family after his wife dies. Cruz does an excellent job of showing how Don Chan is descending into dementia and how Esperanza is desperately trying to keep her family together and get ahead in life.

This book had a lot of promise, but it sadly fell flat for me. I found many of the characters to be quite engaging, but Cruz starts some intriguing narrative threads about them that she just releases without further examination or resolution. The narrative jumps back and forth through time, which isn't necessarily problematic as it was easy to follow the timeline, but it did make for trying to pack a lot of action and history (both factual and about the family) into a limited number of pages. The book also assumes that the reader knows Spanish and has a grasp on Dominican history because it drops you right into the story and doesn't provide much context. I was fortunate to have a basic understanding of modern Dominican history and Trujillo's dictatorship (and its immediate aftermath), but if you don't know much or anything about the DR, you will likely feel some confusion over some of the references and events.

The book also ends quite suddenly with no indication of what will happen to any of the characters other than Don Chan, which I was disappointed by. Maybe she's leaving the book open to a sequel about the family? (I'd love to know what happened to everyone.)

This book was decent and the story was all right, but I feel like there are stronger books available that really go into the modern history of the DR with more depth and insight and with more memorable characters. (IE: Julia Alvarez's novels, Junot Diaz's Oscar Wao)

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I was lowkey afraid this was going to be too similar to Dominica (the book Angie Cruz published after this one) but thankfully neither books are that much alike in terms of plot. While I do believe a lot of Dominicans seem to view New York as a Mecca, maybe it was because this was one of the view states where a Spanish community were able to “thrive” or at least have a secure job compared to other states? I always wondered why not Florida or somewhere closer but 🤷🏽‍♀️

Anyways, this book did a great job at having Spanish interwoven with English but the Spanish made sense like other authors who sprinkle it in for no real discernible reason. We really get a sense of the confusion and loss Don Chan experiences when he struggles to live in a brand new place after living the majority of his adult life in DR. We see the struggles his son and his daughter in law face with their children. Death is somewhat predictable but rebirth is also possible. A slice of life about making it in America and wondering what went wrong with DR politics. A lot of flashbacks to the 60’s/70’s ish era before “present day” mid 1990’s.

[Corrina Clements · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a excellent book. It has everything a person could be looking for, romance, loss, funny, and family love. The book goes on to to have a wonderful mixture of all these things, especially the ending. The end of the book was the bow on top of the present; wrapping is up with a nice twist of an ending. Let It Rain Coffee is one of the best books I've read but not one of my favorites, only because it's not my favorite genre. It's a book I might possibly come back to read, but not anytime soon.

[Beau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story about a Dominican family emigrating to Nueva York in search of a better life really packs a punch. There is so, so much going on with every turn of the page, from child abuse, rape, violence, murder, suicide, teen pregnancy, theft, you name it this book has it. All these brutal things are mentioned almost in passing before you move on to the next tragedy which makes it difficult to process, empathise and connect with the characters. It almost became a parody of what else can go really, really wrong?

I loved the authors later works (Dominicana and How not to drawn in a glass of water) which have similar themes but are executed better imo as there is less going on.

Finally, the characters just didn't feel real, I kept thinking no one acts like that.
Eg. the matriarch of the family who was obsessed with the show Dallas spots the male lead in the subway and proceeds to talk to him/act as if he is the character in the show without seemingly understanding that IT IS A TV SHOW and he is an actor. She then says I don't understand the concept of fictional character. Just beyond. No one in the late 90s living in NY with two grown up children would not know what a TV show is. Like whattttttttt.

[Natalia Figueroa Barroso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let it rain coffee by @writercruz Angie Cruz

Let it rain coffee, the title of this novel was inspired by Dominican Republic singer songwriter Juan Luis Guerra’s song Ojalá que llueva café. Ojalá que llueva café is in itself is a metaphor for the difficult economic conditions and situations that many go through in small towns in Latin America.
Cruz writes this exceptional book in third-person omniscient which allows her to dive into the mind-space of any which character she wants. At times, we’re in Don Chan’s point of view, an ageing (with dementia) campesino and revolutionary who back in the day was part of Los Invisibles who fought against Trujillo’s cruel regime in the 60s. Other times, we’re in Esperanza’s perspective, Don Chan’s daughter in-law, a dreamer who fled D.R. to chase after an America that was sold to her on the television soap opera, Dallas. Obviously, these two characters, Don Chan and Esperanza clash, just as the political ideologies they represent do, communism vs capitalism.
Cruz is brilliant at storytelling and character development, each of her protagonist are complete and each of their narratives hold alone but at the same time intersect seamlessly. Like many Latin American novelist, Cruz uses magic realism to express both the characters’s inner world and as a motif that speaks what is unsaid.
This is a novel about politics, philosophy, migration, family, love, class, revolution and so much more.
As a bilingual (Spanish English) writer I admire how Cruz used Latin American dialogue conventions with the em-dash to commence speech and she got me thinking about intersectional writing style.
Wholeheartedly I recommend this book and cannot wait to get into her next book on my list Dominicana.

[Colleen Stinchcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. A criticism of the idea of the American dream & consumerism and it was done beautifully. Non-abstractly it was the story of a family struggling with day-to-day life in an America that was not all it seemed (and what it seemed, to them, was the TV show Dallas). The characters were compelling and I easily turned pages. I always wanted more and I never felt fed up with the story. It is also a story of immigration, assimilation, second generations, where “home” really is, the meaning of family… overall, really enjoyed it.

[Lauren Mendez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let it rain coffee is such a powerful and painful read because the story highlights so many of the struggles that ensue in the conflict between dreams and reality for the Colon family, and the experiences they have leaving the Dominican Republic for New York. Something I found to be thoughtful and engaging was how the narrative dives into the memories of Don Chan. His memories highlight how time can stop feeling linear and how the past shapes the future, particularly as his memories merge with the present.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would probably give 3 1/2 stars if I could. I enjoyed this book, especially the parts about the Dominican Republic. I am in awe of hard working women who after a full day's work still go home and cook for their families and take care of aging parents. My only complaint is that the story is very typical- Family from the islands comes to NYC for a better life only to end up in a tenament building.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst there isn't a huge plotline and the storyline does meander, it's a deep character study into the Colón family and what it means to them to have come from the Dominican Republic and what it means to them to now live in the U.S.

It isn't as simple as hoping for the American Dream, because sometimes you can stop and turn back, and realise you miss what you once had. In Let It Rain Coffee, you get both sides.

Every character had a different motivation and perspective to the key themes in the book: home, family, ambition, and life. It is done very well that you almost get a different perspective on each of these factors.

I enjoyed the book because it's just as complicated as real life—because real life is never as simple as beginning, middle, end. It didn't provide a one-dimensional view to what was happening and gave me a different perspective to the immigrant experience in America.

[Rebecca Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really interesting story going back and forth through different times and locations. Though at times confusing it kept the story dynamic. I enjoyed the low key descriptions of the big moments, complexity of the characters and the description of D.R. Land once they return. Not quite as good as Dominicana but very enjoyable Latino fiction.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book whose title plays off a common blessing -- Ojala que llueve café -- May it rain coffee. This is a generational tale that follows a family from the Dominican Republic to New York and back, through the ties that remain after migration.

[Glendalee · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s something about reading Angie Cruz that always makes me want to write. I want to write about mami and Papi. I want to write down their stories and I want to share it with everyone so that my family stories live on. Reading about Dominican families always inspires me to write and that my stories matter. I love it when a book does that. I love it when a book can inspire this feeling of restlessness because I am not writing.

In Let It Rain Coffee, we are introduce to the Colon family. They are scarred, broken, beautiful, vulnerable, afraid. A Dominican family with American dreams. And this story takes us in the past and the future to understand this family and Dominican culture

The timelines may annoy some readers with the back and forth to present and past tense, but if you can get past that then pick this book up.

[Julei · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 this author writes memorable characters. I also loved https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... and will read more!

[Solana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was beautiful, however throughout the novel I wish more pages were dedicated to each of the characters and settings rather than the choppy and meandering multigenerational story. I typically like these types of stories that get woven together but I didn’t get enough of each character or place to care about them deeply.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure why I’m giving this a 4. Partly because it left me wanting more (although, wouldn’t that make it a 5?). Partly because it took me quite some time to get into it and feel invested in the characters (which sounds more like 3). Ultimately, I think it’s because by the time I did get invested in the characters, it was all over. I wish I had seen more resolution.

Still, the characters were full and although there were some moments when I felt the author was trying too hard to be poetic (ex. “She gave him small smiles because to give a full smile would have broken her.” Lmao what?? Why would it have broken her? Everything about the character up to this point indicates that she is joyful and full of energy and cares for these particular people around her - why would it have “broken her” to give a full smile.) Just seemed like it was trying too hard, but thankfully those moments are few and far between. That said, I liked the characters overall, even the mom Esperanza who was a little delusional and way too invested in the American Dream, though that’s not completely her fault. She was noted to be the daughter of a Trujillo supporter so that also added to my dislike but life had handed her so many lemons (and she went to the tree and picked some on her own) that it’s easy to just see her for what she is - a woman trying her best. I liked the kids too, and would have loved to read more of their story.

A bit slow on the character development of Esperanza and the kids but by the end I was sitting up anticipating every word. Overall, highly recommend - especially if you are a Dominican immigrant and/or child of immigrants.

[Megan Pitman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The American dream, tale as old as time. Many millions across the world dream of making a better life for themselves in America. Let it Rain Coffee explores the reality of the American dream for a family from the Dominican Republic. This emotional read paints a realistic picture of the struggle that is the American dream, while also delving into family dynamics, grief and culture.

Cruz writing is perfect for this book, written in third person, she has ensured that each character stands alone with insight into their inner thoughts, never compromising on the depth required to build the readers connection. The splattering of Spanish in the writing brings the book even more to life and mirrors the Spanglish language that has become part of so many American lives. A base knowledge of Spanish might be helpful here but it certainly isn’t required and we could all use a little more Spanish Sass in our lives anyway (looking at you ‘no me digas’).

The final star really can be put down to my own ignorance, but I feel that having known very little about Dominican history I felt I needed a little more context at points. Not enough that I felt totally lost but it certainly would have helped a little with the flow during some of the flashback chapters.
Finally a nod to the ending, I am fussy about endings, but finally finally I have found an ending to a book that is seamless, careful, plenty unsaid and just right.

If you loved In The Heights (watching that gave me the final push I needed to pick this up off my shelf) I highly recommend this, this feels like the cousin with more grit and depth. But with plenty of merengue for good measure.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Let It Rain Coffee is a wonderful book about a Dominican family who live in NYC, and in it Cruz does not pull any punches, and she does not oversimplify “the immigrant experience.” She shows how complicated the possibility of achieving the American Dream can be, that it might not be achievable in one generation or at all. There is so much to love about this book. Characterization of patriarch Don Chan, Chinese foundling of the Colon family allowed me to learn that there were Chinese workers in the cane fields of the Dominican Republic. Santo, his son, and Esperanza, his daughter in law, as well as their children, Bobby and Dallas and friend, Hush, another foundling of sorts who the Colons take into their tiny New York apartment, are all flawed, lovable, beautiful people who I was emotionally invested in from beginning to end of this story. The narrative jumped back and forth between the past (1960s) in the Dominican Republic and the present (1990s) in NYC. This is a story of revolution, homesickness, grief, and love, and Angie Cruz has done a beautiful job writing it. However, if you are looking for Magic Realism like Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s in One Hundred Years of Solitude, as promised on the dust jacket of this one, you won’t find it here. Just appreciate it for what it is. I highly recommend it.

[S.W. Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Don Chan's story but Miraluz and Esmeralda steal the show. These Dominican women are strong, fiercely independent protagonists who call the shots. When Miraluz seduced Santos and later young Bobbie, she's the aggressor. Take that Yunior! And Esmeralda is almost like a Dominican version of Emma Bovary. She aggressively pursues her fanciful dreams based on the TV series Dallas: names her children Bobbie and Dallas, moves to the NYC, confronts Patrick Duffey on a subway, and dreams of moving to Texas where she can live on a small ranch with horses. Then she racks up a $2,000 credit card debt with 18% interest and gets tormented by collection agencies, but unlike Madame Bovary she isn't unfaithful and works her fingers to the bone to extricate herself instead of selfishly killing herself. I think the final scene represents a Dominican man's idea of heaven. What would a Dominican woman's vision be?

I had the distinct pleasure of introducing Angie Cruz at the Stetson MFA workshop in Santiago, Chili 6/15/17. I told the audience, "If you liked Junot Diaz's books, you'll absolutely Angie Cruz's novels." She read a gripping scene from her upcoming third novel Dominica---can't wait till it's available!

[Alexis Aguilar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book I review is a solid 4 for me. The characters are great and for the most part are relatable. It is very interesting how we see what the main characters actions and conflicts. There is nothing to complain about except the flashbacks that the book gives us. The conflict in the flashback are not well described compare to the main conflict which makes me crave more from the conflict. This is why I give this book 4 stars.

[Shell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I admit that I didn't finish this. I gave it about 70 pages and it didn't engage me.

[Noaelisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

een heel mooi boek om heel veel redenen maar vooral door de flashbacks, en hoe ze afwisselt tussen toen en nu, daar en hier...

[Yaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let It Rain takes an intimate look at the individual lives of the Colon family members and the life changing events that bond them together. After years of dreaming to move to New York from the Dominican Republic to live the luxurious life she imagined from television, Esperanza is determined to give herself everything she believes she is owed, even if this means driving herself into debt while supporting a household of two children, a husband, and his father, Don Chan.



Angie Cruz reveals the inner workings of each character in this novel by showcasing their inner desires. Each family member imagines a life for themselves larger than the apartment they all live in, while co-existing with the aftermath of the death of Esperanza's husband, the family's predetermined responsibilities, and the tensions among them.



I admire how Cruz highlights the duality of Don Chan, my favorite character, who lives both in the past and present. Don Chan reminisces on his past life as a community leader in his home province of Los Llanos in the Dominican Republic during Trujillo's regime, and does his best to make sense of his new life in New York through daily routines and attempts to become closer to his grandchildren. Cruz's writing beautifully gives the reader insight into how Don Chan was once received as an honorable man back home, and accurately captures Don Chan's confusion and hurt when he is received as a burden in New York needing care from his daughter-in-law, Esperanza.



For lovers of historical fiction complimented with a subtle dose of magical realism, Let It Rain Coffee is a pleasant read. I enjoyed the authenticity of Cruz's characters, the time traveling in history between the big city and the island through chapters, and the raw intense emotions any single mother, aging grandfather, and coming of age children would have.

[Vianny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cruz captivates the reader right from the beginning. As she enthralls the readers and intertwines them with several narratives, providing just enough for you to connect and then leave this tingling feeling inside you that desires more. All the while, however, she develops a narrative that looks at a family tied by an island and separated by these multiple subcultures, some created within the individual minds of each character, and lived experiences. She magnifies specific aspects of these individuals, bringing them to life and before you know it, they are your Tia, Tio, El Vecino, el tiguere de alli, o tiene un parecido a fulano. These stories are not unfamiliar, we know this family or variations of this family in our own lives, but Cruz creates a platform for all the world to see. She brings forth intergenerational separations, the "ni de aqui, ni de alla' perspective, effects and aftermath, single motherhood, the inter-relational dynamics that impact our people in unique ways, passion (and the dissipation thereof), and so much more (including magical realism---the language I speak the best). After reading Cruz's Let It Rain Coffee, I spent weeks thinking about Santo, his daughter, his son, his wife, his father...I was thinking about who they represent and the importance of visibility. I thought about the beautiful story of my people and saddened by how that beauty is unbeknownst to them. Excellent read.

[M Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

¡Maldita sea! I wish I could give this 3 and a half stars, but the system doesn't work that way.

We are forced to live within the confines of the system just as struggling immigrants from the Dominican Republic are forced to live within the systems - social, institutional, familial - that they find themselves in in Nuevo York in the 90s.

Cruz paints the story of struggle that newcomers fleeing their homelands have in common, like a Philip Roth novel or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, like some many others (probably Americanah though I haven't read it yet (Soon)). At first the jumping between 60s D.R. & 90s N.Y. ... and really, more specifically Eastern Dominican Republic and Washington Heights New York. Each is rendered almost claustrophobically, people from these regions may not be safe leaving them. So, though this takes place across nations and eras, often we are trapped in a clinic as Trujillo's thugs close off the exits or trapped in an apartment as the the city seems determined to take everything from the family.

And I was prepared to give three stars, better than OK, but not great. But the you know, it *is* pretty good. Moves quick enough, handles many characters without getting bloated - a bit less than 300 pages. Takes up important issues without being didactic. So, ¿Por Qué No? 3 and a half rounded up. 4 stars.

Recommended for those who are interested in latin american experience, immigrant stories, and families who lives are almost telenovelas.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can a book that ends on such a note of despair and make one feel so conflicted be so good?

Cruz works with the irony of history and the crushing reality of the future. Esperanza has no hope of ever getting out of debt. She left Los Llanos to find a rich rancher, like in the 70's drama Dallas. She names her son after Bobby Ewing and her daughter is named Dallas. But as fate would have it, Los Llanos, the home she loathes and ran away from, becomes the place of her unfulfilled dreams. Ranches, mansions, private beaches. Meanwhile, she sinks further into destitution.

Cruz leaves the reader questioning whether one can ever escape indentured servitude. Don Chan sort of escapes, but breaks himself working the land to be able to create a Utopia that never comes to fruition. Santos, his son, languishes in the same cycle of debt. The grandson, Bobby, seems to be the spark of hope that, after a generation of living in the U.S., one can get ahead. But that spark fades when he takes on the role of Joseph, fathering a child that is not his own, and the reader questions whether his can-do determination will be enough to break this cycle of penury.