Anything But Love

by Gustavo Perez Firmat

Fiction. A sardonic, sexy first novel from the acclaimed Cuban American author Gustavo Perez Firmat. The conflicted protagonist may remind some readers of Peter Tarnopol in Philip Roth's My Life As a Man, and others of Bob Slocum in Joseph Heller's Something Happened, but Perez Firmat has imbued this deft fiction debut with a Cuban American flavor all his own. He is skilled at evoking the richness of a world where humor eases hardship -- The New Yorker.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Gustavo Pérez Firmat was born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Miami, Florida.
He is best known for his memoir, Next Year in Cuba, available in Spanish as El año que viene estamos en Cuba, and for Life on the Hyphen, a study of Cuban-American culture, also available in Spanish as Vidas en vilo. His most recent book, A Cuban in Mayberry, is an affectionate and personal look at one of America’s best-loved TV shows, “The Andy Griffith Show.” He has also published several collections of poetry in English and Spanish—Scar Tissue, Cincuenta lecciones de exilio y desexilio, Bilingual Blues, Equivocaciones, Carolina Cuban—and a novel, Anything but Love. His books of literary and cultural criticism include The Havana Habit, Tongue Ties, The Cuban Condition, Literature and Liminality and Idle Fictions. He divides his time between New York City and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Cuban American Writer Gustavo Perez Firmat’s Novel Anything but Love is about the deeply troubled and abusive relationship between the Spanish language textbook writer Francisco ‘Frank’ Gonzalez Guerra and his daughter's third-grade teacher, Catherine ‘Cath’ O’Neal. The story is told from the perspective of Guerra, who is not the most reliable narrator. The story is set in South Florida. Guerra is a Cuban American. Guerra was born in Cuba. O’Neal is American. O’Neal was born in the Bronx in New York State. She moved to Long Island in New York State when she was eleven. O’Neal has a complex sexual history. Guerra and O’Neal have a very sexual relationship. Guerra leaves his first wife, Maria, and his daughter for O’Neal. In some way, Guerra loves O’Neal for what she represents more than who she is. For Guerra, his relationship with O’Neal represents the troubled relationship between Cuba and the United States. Guerra is in love with O’Neal, which makes Guerra dangerous in many ways. Since Guerra is a textbook writer, the novel references Spanish grammar. Guerra went through a time when he followed Jewish tradition, so there are also some Jewish phrases in the story. Gustavo Perez Firmat’s Novel Anything but Love is well written.
Works Cited:
Cowan, Lee. 2024, June 23. “Jude Law on "Firebrand" and the actor's "long game."
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) Sunday Morning. YouTube. 8:37 minutes. Jude Law on "Firebrand" and the actor's "long game" (youtube.com)

[Ayo Watford]

While looking for a James Patterson book, I stumbled across this one. Figured I'd read an author I've never read before. Will keep you posted.