The Tilting House

“Affecting . . . A study of hidden family secrets, the unhealed wound of losing a mother and the quest for home.” —Anita Snow, Associated Press

“Lush and lyrical . . . A sweeping exploration of immigration, exile, mother-daughter relationships, loss and home.” —Ms.

“Lyrical and immersive . . . A powerful family story.” —Jessi Rae Morton, Southern Review of Books

“A compelling exploration of the impact of immigration, estrangement, and political upheaval on identity and belonging.” —Jenny Bartoy, Chicago Review of Books

“A multilayered, multigenerational novel, with a winning narrator and a nuanced and authentic portrait of Cuban culture then and now.” —Jane Ciabattari, Literary Hub

“[An] immersive bildungsroman . . . Readers will be moved.” —Publishers Weekly

“Yuri’s aching perspective in present-day New York . . . weighs her innocence and complicity in the events that unfolded after Mariela’s disruptive arrival . . . among Party agents and black-market wranglers, petty criminals and intellectuals.” —Booklist

“The Tilting House is a lyrical, haunting exploration of exile and belonging, memory and betrayal, and the inescapable pull of family and legacy. Against the backdrop of a Cuba still reckoning with the upheaval of revolution, Ivonne Lamazares crafts a story of love and loss, following the unforgettable Yuri—a young woman caught between the ghosts of history and the promise of an uncertain future. With exquisite prose and unflinching insight, The Tilting House introduces a cast of exiles and dreamers, survivors and schemers, artists and agitators, all bound by the weight of the past and the search for home in a world forever shaped by destiny.” —Alex Espinoza, author of The Sons of El Rey

“The Tilting House is a brilliant study of the unstable ground that supports the story of exile. Through the lives of two half-sisters, Yuri and Mariela, this sweeping novel exposes the shifting foundations of identity and belonging. As the sisters confront their multiple shared losses—of mother and motherland—their paths diverge in ways that mark them forever. Mariela’s art confronts us with the destruction that is the handmaiden of creation. While Yuri’s voice, vibrating with ambivalence, guides us through the ruins of a family whose story becomes the story of a nation. This nuanced, gorgeous novel dares question not only the idea of return, but the very concept of a home that stands ever ready to receive us. Unforgettable.” —Ana Menéndez, author of The Apartment

“A jewel of a book. As vibrant as the brightly-painted houses in the Havana at its heart, The Tilting House immerses us in a sweeping narrative of generational trauma and beauty, yet draws us close with prose that sparkles and characters that won’t let go.” —Jessica Elisheva Emerson, author of Olive Days