The Veins of the Ocean

by Patricia Engel

Winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year, A New York Times Editors’ Choice and a finalist for the International Latino Book Award “Engel has an eye for detail. She knows how to drown the reader in a sense of enchantment... She writes exquisite moments.”—Roxane Gay, The Nation

Reina Castillo is the alluring young woman whose beloved brother is serving a death sentence for a crime that shocked the community, throwing a baby off a bridge—a crime for which Reina secretly blames herself. With her brother's death, though devastated and in mourning, Reina is finally released from her prison vigil. Seeking anonymity, she moves to a sleepy town in the Florida Keys where she meets Nesto Cadena, a recently exiled Cuban awaiting with hope the arrival of the children he left behind in Havana. Through Nesto’s love of the sea and capacity for faith, Reina comes to understand her own connections to the life-giving and destructive forces of the ocean that surrounds her as well as its role in her family's troubled history, and in their companionship, begins to find freedom from the burden of guilt she carries for her brother’s crime.

Set in the vibrant coastal and Caribbean communities of Miami, the Florida Keys, Havana, Cuba, and Cartagena, Colombia, with The Veins of the Ocean Patricia Engel delivers a profound and riveting Pan-American story of fractured lives finding solace and redemption in the beauty and power of the natural world, and in one another.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Novels, Latinx, Adult Fiction, Adult

406 pages, Hardcover

First published May 3, 2016

About the author

Patricia Engel is the author of five books including The Faraway World; Infinite Country, a New York Times Bestseller and Reese's Book Club pick; The Veins of the Ocean, winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize; It’s Not Love, It’s Just Paris, winner of the International Latino Book Award; and Vida, a finalist for the Pen/Hemingway and Young Lions Fiction Awards, New York Times Notable Book, and winner of Colombia’s national book award, the Premio Biblioteca de Narrativa Colombiana. She is a recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Her stories appear in The Best American Short Stories, The Best American Mystery Stories, The O. Henry Prize Stories, and elsewhere. Born to Colombian parents, Patricia teaches creative writing at the University of Miami. 

Reviews

[Canadian Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man dangles a baby over a pier on the ocean because a lover has slighted him. This sets the tone for this novel.

This is about family. A history of murder and suicide. A history of poverty and broken relationships. A story of a sister loyal to the memory of a brother. The burden of family, of truths and sins.

There is beauty in the writing of this sad and disturbing tale. Beauty in finding the release of forgiveness and the power of healing. Engel has the power to transport a reader into the loneliness of Reina's heart and soul. Vivid descriptions, fascinating history of Cuba, traditions of Colombia. 4★

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will find wonderfully descriptive language here, sentences of simple words full of complex meaning . I could see the ocean colors , feel it's depth and understand the sense of freedom it has for the characters and the dolphin released from captivity. The author covers a lot of ground here with a variety of themes - of families, immigration, guilt, freedom to live symbolized by the ocean ,freedom from the past, and of course love .

Raina, born in Columbia and raised in Miami visits her brother, Carlito in jail every weekend. Carlito is imprisoned for throwing his girlfriend's daughter over a bridge. A dejavu for Carlito who was thrown over a bridge by his father . The big difference though, is that Carlito survived. Raina carries the guilt of Carlito's crime and is haunted by his death. Raina moves away to the Keys to start a new life. There she meets Nesto , who has defected from Cuba so that he can provide for his children.

Their story is so much more about their pasts, and how it keeps them from moving forward , afraid of thinking about the future , living today for today. Through Raina's flashbacks and dreams , we are made privy to the haunting stories of rape , abortions at fourteen, family dysfunction and her secret. Nesto's past life unfolds as well - the sadness and hunger and lack of freedom that was his life in Cuba. He is trying desperately to get his children. Nesto is connected to the ocean , born on an island, feeling free only in the ocean , connected by his religious beliefs .

I was impressed with writing, moved by the story of pain and hope . Highly recommended.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic , NetGalley, and Edelweiss .

[Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It’s a sea of death,” Universo said. “But the water remembers what civilization tries to forget.”

The ocean is the third main character in this novel, besides our protagonist, Reina, a young woman struggling to let go of the guilt that haunts her sleeps, and Nesto, a man who comes into her life with his own past that he struggles to reconcile with his present. Between them are oceans, both physical and metaphorical, that they cross and re-cross, sometimes with each other and sometimes on journeys they can only take alone.

Engel's writing is lush, but not flowery. It gives you just what you need to know to get the full picture, but it allows you to get lost in the settings—sweltering Miami, the Florida Keys, Colombia and Cuba—in which the characters navigate their conflicting emotions, personal triumphs and tragedies, and more.

With Reina's perspective we come to see the world as harsh and sinister, and through Nesto we see raindrops of hope that bring new life to the darkness that inflicts itself on Reina's life. It's not a savior story, where one comes in to sweep the other off their feet. They both have problems that tug at their heart, those of responsibility versus desire, of forgiveness and redemption, of learning when it's right to let go of something and knowing when you've got something worth holding on to.

Like any good novel, this was one that gave me a lot to think about. It left me with more questions than answers, but provided closure and a little hopefulness in a story that's generally bleak and difficult.

At it's core is a theme that's overwrought—love is all we need in life—but delivered in a story that's rarely told. Engel's use of the Spanish was delightful (though I can see it being a slight turn-off for people who no experience with the language), and her Yoruba storytelling was beautiful, informative, and layered. I appreciated her portrayal of faith versus doubt weaved into a story of someone struggling to move on in life, looking beyond their present circumstances and releasing themselves from the guilt of their past.

I look forward to reading more from Engel.

[Roxane · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding novel about family and obligation and the choice of suffering. Couldn't put it down.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing I noticed about Patricia Engel, at the Bay Area Book Festival was how gorgeous she is. She is not only elegant, with a healthy glow... Her energy is contagious. She's funny....and everyone in her packed filled room was having a good time.

The blurb gives enough details about the basic plot...so I won't repeat what's been said.
I enjoyed this story. There is an air of magic and tragedy. Engel paints us beautiful and complex portraits of the main characters....conveying mood, and emotions. For example... 'Guilt' is an emotion that becomes a backdrop between Reina and Nesto...
....the emotion portrayed during their upheavals.....allows the reader to ponder how it's shaping their relationship.

Backing up a minute...
I want to mention the physical book. Sometimes ... I actually get butterflies in my belly when touching a new hard copy book. Knucklehead-me missed seeing this book on Netgalley. ( I was too late for the party)....
Yet....I ended up with the physical book and a chance to meet the author!!
"The Veins of the Ocean"'s physical hard copy is artistically beautiful ....(we have a close bonding-thing going on). I'll be sharing this one with my 85 year aunt. She won't touch anything electronic. ( no wonder she's in such great health and spirit).

Having a head start about this story from the author herself --
I was well prepared to begin my journey. I felt I 'heard' the entire story before I read it myself. ( including discussions)

I've had an interest in reading books which take in Florida for about a year now... ( a combination of knowing my daughter was moving their and a few friends from Goodreads).

Themes explored are diversity...separations of immigrants...family relationships....( suffering hearts).....poverty....tribal commitment and pressures....crime & violence...
fear...and deep feelings of guilt.

The Ocean plays a role in this novel. It's the source of pain....and serves as a healing.
In the book "The Wilderness", by Diane Thomas....the woods were a source of pain and healing. In "We Are Called To Rise", the city of Las Vegas is also a source of pain...and then serves as a place of healing....

Non- characters - characters .....( oceans, woods, cities).....such as the Florida ocean --becomes an almost God-like spiritual character ....an ocean about redemption ....the ocean offering wisdom and hope....especially for Reina and Nesto who find atonement in the waters.

"Nesto makes his own offerings to the ocean--watermelon, fruta bomba, or just a banana peel he cast off to the current with a question for Yemaya and Olokun, waiting to see if it sinks or floats--that I may make my own petitions to the water, asking for help to guide me through the darkness, find my way through the night tide past the metal fence, so I can clear the way for the Dolphin, lead her through the path to her freedom. Most of all, I ask the ocean to keep us all, Nesto, the dolphin, and me,
unafraid".

In my opinion -- people who like Isabelle Allende....( especially thinking of her book,
"Island Beneath the Sea"....might enjoy Patricia Engel's novel..."The Veins of the Ocean". There is a similar style in writing......'enchanting'.

[Esil · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 ½ stars. The Veins of the Ocean is one of those books that has all the ingredients of books I usually like, but somehow didn’t quite work for me. I never felt particularly engaged and reading it felt like a bit of a chore. The story focuses on Reina, whose family immigrated from Columbia to Florida. She comes from a family full of nasty baggage, including her brother Carlito who was sentenced to death row for a pretty ugly crime. The first third of the book focuses on Reina’s relationship with her family, and especially her attachment to her brother -- although there are many flashbacks to this period later in the book. The rest of the book focuses on Reina’s life on one of the Florida Keys, where she meets Nesto who is a Cuban refugee with his own baggage. As I write the description of the story, I still wonder why this book didn’t engage me. I actually quite liked the first part of the book that focuses on Reina and her brother. Told from Reina’s perspective, there is something heartbreaking and powerful about her attachment and loyalty to someone so flawed. But this was a good story on its own. After that, I felt that the book lost its way -- there was something aimless about the narrative structure and I was left with a sense of pointlessness. And – except for parts that were focused on her relationship with her brother -- Reina never quite came together for me in three dimensions – there was an odd flatness to her narrative. Others on GR have really been taken by this book and by Reina’s story, so don’t just take my word on this one. I suspect I am a bit of an outlier. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to read a copy.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Veins of the Ocean is a contemplative look at grief, shame, loss, destiny, and hope through the eyes of Reina, a young Latina in south Florida. Traumatic events have shaped Reina's life from her earliest days, and when her beloved brother, Carlos "Carlito" commits a shockingly similar crime to the one their father did years earlier, Reina is tested in loyalty and love. She knows he is guilty, but devotes every weekend of her teen and early adult years to visiting Carlito, who now is on Death Row in a Florida prison.

This brother-sister relationship forms the backbone of this story: rich and lyrical in tone and detail, weaving present situations with dreamlike sequences of her and Carlito's past. When Reina meets Nesto, a Cuban refugee who now lives and works in the Keys, she is drawn to his loyalty and devotion for his family, who he works tirelessly to provide for, back in Cuba.

There were some notabke plot points in the story: the dolphins at the "dolphinarium", scuba diving, Reina's visit to her family's home in Cartagena, and then the visit to Cuba. I also liked the undercurrent of mysticism and the way destiny and freedom were a part of the larger story landscape.

Engel's prose blew me away and I am really looking forward to reading more by her.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Listen to the water, Reina,” she whispered as I let myself be cushioned by the soft rush of waves. “If you trust the tide, it will always return you to shore.”

In The Veins of the Ocean we follow Reina, a young latina, who wants to leave the past behind and start anew in the Florida Keys.

“I want to be forgotten. I want it to feel as if I’ve never existed. I want to be a stranger. Rootless.”

The last few years she had offered up her life for her brother on death row, and after his execution, she is emotionally drained. She finds her solace in Nesto, an exiled Cuban waiting and hoping to welcome his children to the United States and give them a better life. He offers her the peace she has missed for so long. It is not easy, but through diving and love for the spirituality the ocean offers, Nesto teaches her the faith she needs to go on with her life.

“That can’t be your only scar.” “I have more.” “Where are they?” “They’re the kind you can’t see.”

Dark, but compelling, Patricia Engel makes us feel everything and nothing. All the despair, guilt and loneliness, but also hope, believe and love; all of that what makes us human.

“We can’t be both human and divine. To be human is to be imperfect.” "

Review copy supplied by publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a rating and/or review.

[luce (cry bebè's back from hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

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“I want to be forgotten. I want it to feel as if I've never existed. I want to be a stranger. Rootless.”

A few days before reading The Veins of the Ocean I read, and enjoyed reading, Patricia Engel's Vida, a collection of short stories centred on a Colombian-American woman. I was intrigued by the premise of The Veins of the Ocean and the first chapters were deeply affecting. I was captivated by the understated lyricism of Engel's prose, by Reina's interiority and the reflections she makes by revisiting her past and her relationship with her difficult older brother.
After her brother is sentenced to death, Reina puts her life on hold. She works during the week and spends her weekends in a depressing motel close to Carlito's prison. In spite of her brother's heinous crime, Reina, unlike her mother, can't cut him loose. During her visits, Carlito reveals to her the inhumane conditions of solitary confinement. After his death, Reina struggles to adjust to a life without him. She moves to a small community in Florida Keys and seems resigned to live a lonely existence until she comes across Nesto, an exiled Cuban who longs to be reunited with his children.
The narrative moves between past and present, sometimes seamlessly, sometimes a little more clumsily. As Reina tries to adapt to her new life, she's forced to confront her own role in Carlito's crime. As she reconciles herself with her own failures, and those of her loved ones, Reina finds the courage to truly live.
I loved the atmosphere, tone, and setting of this novel. The narrative had an almost lulling dreamlike quality that brought to mind the works of Ann Patchett. Reina too, could easily belong to a Patchett novel. Although she may appear to be a rather directionless individual, her sensitivity make her into an affecting character.
Sadly, I wasn't all that enamoured with the men in this novel, in particular Reina's love interest(s). Reina would often only belatedly introduce us to these characters, making their presence in the story feel rather sudden. These characters often are not given any direct dialogue, and their experiences and words are re-elaborated by Reina herself (she will say 'he told me this' or 'he said this and that'). They often don't appear in scenes as such, and Reina is merely thinking of what they told her. They felt kind of uninspired and forgettable. I also didn't see the point in Dr. Joe. He has a very small role at the beginning of the novel, and yet Reina will often think back to his words in order to make sense of something (she will think 'according to Dr. Joe Carlito did this because x'). And maybe it could have worked if his character had been a bit more fleshed out...but he had a hurried appearance which didn't cast him in a very positive light.
Then we have Nesto...the main love interest. And I kind of hated him for 95% of the novel. He is condescending, quick to minimise Reina's feelings or experiences (saying 'you're not Cuban, you grew up in America, you can't understand'). He seems very uninterested in Reina's painful past, flat out telling her that he doesn't want to hear about it, and that for him she came into being that night they first met (“for me, you were born the day I met you. Nothing before that counts”). And yet he excepts her to listen to his own past, the difficulties he overcame, and his present struggles. The only times he didn't make me roll my eyes, and want to strangle him, were when he spoke about the Orishas. His nuggets of wisdom however were banal at best: “To be human is to be imperfect”, the secret to life is “love”.
Later in the narrative he also tells Reina that she has “a debt to pay to Yemayá for your family”. Which, is king of crap thing to say. I just found him obnoxious and unsupportive.

What could have been a moving and incisive tale is let down by too much telling and not a lot of showing and by an extremely irritating love interest (curiously enough I found the love interests in Vida to be just as tiresome) who made me want to wish for a different ending for Reina (her happiness seems to completely hinge on their relationship...which yikes).

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!

This book was amazing to read! I'm so happy I took a chance on this. Okay, real talk: I really only picked this book because of the cover and the title. Okay, the synopsis really intrigued me too.. but still I was super hesitant about diving into it. I don't know, I'm super weird about books because when I read a bunch of great or intriguing books I somehow find a dud in the mix. Then my groove is ruined.

However, this book was not the case. I loved everything about it! The Veins of the Ocean is about family. Well, not only about that.. it's also about murder and suicide. Trust me, this book will take you on a whirlwind kind of adventure.

Reina is a loveable character. She is the definitely of a human being. She lives, hurts, and is still strong in the end. She is haunted by her guilt throughout day and night because of her past. Then there's Nesto, who comes into her life with his own struggles.

Overall, I absolutely loved these two. I loved the entire story. This book brought me heartache, so much heartache. Especially with the beginning but then it got so much better and I didn't think that it could. I loved Engel's writing and I can't wait to dive into another one of her books.

This book will make you cry but then it will make you happy. You are taken on a beautiful journey and it will be emotional. Read it. Enjoy it. Love it.

[Britany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This was a quietly beautiful thought-provoking book. I had this on my shelf for years, and finally picked it up to read before I moved to Charlotte, it took me way too long to get through it, but not because I didn't want to pick it up.

Carlito is on death row for throwing a baby over a bridge and his sister Reina tells us this story - about characters that I won't soon forget, and how impactful something like this is to family members. I especially appreciated the Florida writing and the dolphinarium parts that Reina & Nesto worked at. For some reason, those parts will continue living on rent-free in my mind.

[Makis Dionis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ντετερμινισμός, γονιδίωμα ή ελεύθερη βούληση? Η Ενχελ
προσπαθεί να δώσει κάποιες ερμηνείες χρησιμοποιώντας τις προβολές της
Καρταχένα και κυριως της Αβάνα στο Μαϊάμι. Μετανάστες με πολλά βαρίδια στην πλάτη. Φολκλορ κ φιλοσοφία. Βασικοί άξονες η
Ελευθερία κ το νερό/ωκεανός ως ζωογόνος δύναμη , που πραγματώνει με τον καλύτερο τρόπο την έννοια της. Καραϊβική, Κεντρική και Λατινική Αμερική πηγές φτώχειας, μιζέριας και εκμετάλλευσης, αλλά υπέροχος καμβάς αριστουργημάτων.
Είχα καιρό να διαβάσω μια τόσο δυνατή γυναικεία γραφή.
Συγχαρητήρια και στις εκδόσεις Όπερα για τα αντανακλαστικά τους για μια ακόμη φορά

[Taryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some authors are able to make first-person narrators real within just a few pages, and Patricia Engel certainly has that gift. Reina’s voice is perfectly authentic from page one. All her complicated feelings about her family are laid bare: her ambivalence towards her flighty mother, the void of feeling where her absent father would have been, and most of all, her guilt and shame over a horrific crime committed by her brother, Carlito, now in solitary confinement on death row.

Reina’s life in adulthood is rootless, with her brother in prison and her mother selling the family home in Miami. Eventually, after yet another devastating personal loss, Reina finds herself drifting down to the Florida Keys. Aimless at first, she is eventually drawn into connections with other people and with the unique Florida landscape, where land and ocean, and everything that lives on and in them, meet.

Engel’s writing is beautiful, and I was quite invested in how Reina’s life would play out, but I think I’ve about reached my saturation point on family dramas. I typically love literary fiction about relationships and dysfunction, and I’m sure I’ll come back around to it again, but for now, I’m looking for more page-turning action than deep introspection. I blame the approach of flip-flop and lemonade weather. There’s something about summer that makes me crave fast, fun reads. Hopefully as this month rolls on, I’ll be able to find a few titles that satisfy that craving.

With regards to Grove Press and NetGalley for the advance copy. On sale today, May 3!

More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com

[JoJo_theDodo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow meandering through life experiences. The narrator of the audiobook has a very quiet voice and I found myself getting easily distracted or just drifting off.

[Γιάννης Ζαραμπούκας · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.envivlio.com/krk107

Είχα καιρό να ξενυχτήσω με ένα βιβλίο. Είχα καιρό να διαβάσω ένα μυθιστόρημα, το οποίο θα με κάνει να χάσω την αίσθηση του χρόνου, να γυρνούν οι σελίδες χωρίς να το αντιλαμβάνομαι, να γίνομαι ένα με την ιστορία. Αυτό, μου συνέβη με το δεύτερο μεταφρασμένο στη χώρα μας, βιβλίο της Αμερικανίδας συγγραφέως Πατρίσια Ένχελ, που κυκλοφόρησε το 2017 από τις εκδόσεις Opera, με τίτλο ΟΙ ΦΛΕΒΕΣ ΤΟΥ ΩΚΕΑΝΟΥ, σε μετάφραση της Κατερίνας Σχινά.
Πρόκειται για ένα σχετικά μεγάλο σε όγκο μυθιστόρημα, μιας και αποτελείται από 522 σελίδες, που όμως διαβάζεται απνευστί. Η συγγραφέας καταφέρνει να δημιουργήσει μία ενδιαφέρουσα πλοκή, που παρότι δεν χαρακτηρίζεται από τρομερές ανατροπές, πετυχαίνει να διατηρήσει αμείωτο το ενδιαφέρον του αναγνώστη, το οποίο εξάπτεται διαρκώς, γεγονός που οφείλεται τόσο στην πολυπλοκότητα που διέπει τους χαρακτήρες της Ένχελ, όσο και στην πληθώρα πληροφοριών άλλοτε λαογραφικού, κι άλλοτε ιστορικού χαρακτήρα, με τις οποίες εμπλουτίζει το κείμενο της.
Στις πρώτες σελίδες του βιβλίου, ο αναγνώστης συναντά τη βασική ηρωίδα της Έχνελ την Ρέινα, η οποία κάνοντας μία σύντομη αναδρομή στο παρελθόν εξιστορεί τη σκληρότητα και την απανθρωπιά με την οποία σφράγισε ο πατέρας της την παιδική ηλικία τόσο της ίδιας, όσο και του αδερφού της, του Καρλίτο. Ένα γεγονός που λαμβάνει χώρα τότε, διαδραματίζει καθοριστικό ρόλο στην πορεία της οικογένειας, η οποία δύο δεκαετίες μετά καλείται να αντιμετωπίσει μία παρόμοια κατάσταση. Κατάσταση η οποία θα οδηγήσει τον Καρλίτο στη φυλακή, όπου θα χρειαστεί να δείξει υπομονή, περιμένοντας να οριστεί η μέρα της εκτέλεσής του. Η Ρέινα θα σταθεί στο ύψος των περιστάσεων, αποτελώντας για τον αδελφό της, το μοναδικό ίσως, στήριγμα κατά τη διάρκεια του εγκλεισμού του, απ’ τον οποίο θα απελευθερωθεί, βάζοντας ο ίδιος τέλος στη ζωή του.
Μετά τον χαμό του αδελφού της, η Ρέινα ασφυκτιά. Παρότι γεννήθηκε, μεγάλωσε, κι έζησε  στο Μαϊάμι, νιώθει ανοίκειο το περιβάλλον γύρω της. Οι αναμνήσεις μίας δύσκολης παιδικής ηλικίας, σε συνδυασμό με τα τελευταία τραγικά γεγονότα που αφορούν τον αδερφό της, δημιουργούν ένα ασήκωτο ψυχικό φορτίο, που το βάρος του απειλεί να την συνθλίψει. Για να σωθεί, η Ρέινα θα επιλέξει τη φυγή και ειδικότερα την απομόνωση. Είναι άλλωστε η μόνη λύση. Έτσι, θα βρεθεί σε ένα απ’ τα νησάκια Κις, της Φλόριντα, άγνωστη μεταξύ αγνώστων, προσπαθώντας να αρχίσει τη ζωή της απ’ την αρχή.
Η Πατρίσια Ένχελ δημιουργεί ένα αμιγώς κοινωνικό μυθιστόρημα, γραμμένο με τόσο απλό κι ανεπιτήδευτο τρόπο, που καταφέρνει να συγκινήσει κάθε αναγνώστη. Η γλώσσα της Ένχελ παρότι διέπεται από άκρατο λυρισμό, ειδικά στα σημεία εκείνα που επιδίδεται σε περιγραφές που αφορούν τη Φύση, η οποία και πρωταγωνιστεί σε αρκετά σημεία του βι��λίου, δεν θα έλεγα ότι γίνεται σύνθετη, παρότι καταφέρνει και δημιουργεί με αυτή πολυεπίπεδους χαρακτήρες, χαρακτήρες με βάθος και τεράστιο αναγνωστικό ενδιαφέρον. Η γραφή της Ένχελ ξεχωρίζει για την μουσικότητα της, για τον ρυθμό της. Θα έλεγα πως θυμίζει το νερό της θάλασσας, που δειλά, δειλά χτυπά στην ακτή, και τελικά παρασύρει ό,τι συναντά στον δρόμο της. Έτσι συμβαίνει και με την γραφή της Ένχελ. Σε κυκλώνει από παντού, σε πλημμυρίζει, μέχρι που σε παρασύρει στη δίνη της, χωρίς να το ‘χεις καταλάβει.

Πέρα απ’ το κομμάτι της γραφής, αυτό που σε κερδίζει στο μυθιστόρημα της Ένχελ είναι η εγγύτητά του. Η συγγραφέας δημιουργεί μία ατμόσφαιρα ζεστή, έντονα εξομολογητική, αφού η αφήγηση πραγματοποιείται σε α’ ενικό πρόσωπο, γεγονός που δημιουργεί ένα αίσθημα θαλπωρής μεταξύ της ηρωίδας και του αναγνώστη, ο οποίος συναισθάνεται πλήρως την Ρέινα, και τους προβληματισμούς της. Προβληματισμοί που από προσωπικοί μετατρέπονται σε καθολικοί, με τον αναγνώστη να οικειοποιείται πλήρως καθετί που ταλαιπωρεί την ηρωίδα της Ένχελ.
Διαβάζοντας, λοιπόν, τις Φλέβες του Ωκεανού, θα το χαρακτήριζα ως ένα πολυθεματικό κοινωνικό μυθιστόρημα, αφού η συγγραφέας μέσα απ’ την Ρέινα και τη ζωή της, δράττεται της ευκαιρίας, και θίγει μία πληθώρα κοινωνικών ζητημάτων με διαχρονικό χαρακτήρα.
Πρώτα απ’ όλα, η Πατρίσια Ένχελ αναφέρεται στον θεσμό της οικογένειας και το πώς οι γονείς και η ανατροφή που προσφέρουν στα παιδιά τους, καθορίζουν την πορεία που ακολουθεί η ζωή τους. Χαρακτηριστικό παράδειγμα αποτελούν ο Καρλίτο και η Ρέινα, οι οποίοι αντιμετώπισαν σημαντικές δυσκολίες κατά τη διάρκεια της παιδικής τους ηλικίας, δυσκολίες όπως η βία, η αδιαφορία, και η φτώχεια, δυσκολίες που όχι μόνο τους στιγμάτισαν,  αλλά και που λειτούργησαν έτσι που τα δύο αδέρφια ήρθαν πιο κοντά, δέθηκαν, αποτελώντας ο ένας για τον άλλο τελικά το μοναδικό στήριγμα! Μέσα απ’ τους δύο αυτούς ήρωες, η Ένχελ μιλά και για τη δύναμη της αδελφικής αγάπης, αγάπη η οποία παραμένει ανέγγιχτη από τη φθορά και την τριβή της καθημερινότητας. Αγάπη ανυστερόβουλη και άδολη. Αγάπη η οποία θα συγκινήσει σίγουρα κάθε αναγνώστη.
Οι Φλέβες του Ωκεανού είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα που διατρέχεται από μία πληθώρα πληροφοριών λαογραφικού, αλλά και ιστορικού τύπου. Μέσα απ’ την ιστορία του Νέστο, η συγγραφέας μας παρουσιάζει την έκρυθμη κοινωνικό-πολιτική κατάσταση της Κούβας, καθώς και τις δύσκολές συνθήκες διαβίωσης των κατοίκων της, παραθέτοντας μέσα απ’ τις σελίδες του βιβλίου της, αρκετά από τα προβλήματα που καλούνταν να αντιμετωπίσει καθημερινά ο γηγενής πληθυσμός, για να επιβιώσει. Οι πιο ενδιαφέρουσες για εμένα πληροφορίες, είναι αυτές που αφορούν  στις θρησκευτικές τελετουργίες προσφοράς προς τις τοπικές θεότητες της Κούβας, στις οποίες πίστευε ακράδαντα ο Νέστο, τις ιστορίες των οποίων προσπαθούσε με ζέση να εμπιστευτεί στη Ρέινα.
Ολοκληρώνοντας, οι ΦΛΕΒΕΣ ΤΟΥ ΩΚΕΑΝΟΥ είναι ένα πολυδιάστατο κοινωνικό μυθιστόρημα, που αποδεικνύει περίτρανα πως η Πατρίσια Ένχελ είναι μία σπουδαία συγγραφέας, που ξεχωρίζει για την αφηγηματική της δεινότητα! Είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα που θα καταφέρει να αγγίξει και τον πιο απαιτητικό αναγνώστη, κι αυτό γιατί είναι απαλλαγμένο από κάθε τάση ωραιοποίησης. Αντίθετα η συγγραφέας υιοθετεί μία αμιγώς ρεαλιστική προσέγγιση των πραγμάτων, μιλώντας για την οικογενειακή βία και αδιαφορία, για το βάρος της μνήμης και της αμαρτίας, αλλά και για τις δεύτερες ευκαιρίες που προσφέρονται στους ανθρώπους για να καλυτερεύσουν τη ζωή τους. Είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα που αξίζει να διαβάσετε χωρίς δεύτερη σκέψη!

[Book Riot Community]

In this novel, a young woman named Reina lives with the guilt of a crime her brother committed, which affects many aspects of her life, including her bonds with family and a new relationship. As the book moves forward, Reina pushes her own limits and through a connection with the ocean, is able to see a reflection of herself that keeps her moving forward. This book is centered in the immigrant experience and tackles tough issues like grief, family, fate and love with such grace. I took my time with the beautiful language of this novel and highly recommend it!

–Jamie Moore



from The Best Books We Read In July 2016: http://bookriot.com/2016/08/01/riot-r...

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The Veins of the Ocean weaves together the stories of Reina, her brother Carlito, their father and mother, beginning with one event that will haunt their lives, and followed by a second event that will forever change them, and that will land Carlito in prison.

Reina, devoted to her brother, spends every weekend visiting Carlito, and the remainder of her time working as a manicurist, listening to her clients’ problems. She dreams of fulfilling her promise to Carlito to visit their homeland, Cartagena. When her mother sells the home she grew up in, Reina moves to a small island in the Florida Keys, away from the city life she had known, and the rhythm of her life begins to change. Though still mostly alone, but when she meets Nesto that, too, begins to change, and the slow and quiet pace of the island settles her, slowly. Their feelings of displacement, of not belonging anywhere are a common thread between Reina and Nesto, torn between their old countries and the new, the family left behind and creating a new life out of what remains without letting go of what is just out of reach.

Nesto is very tied to the ocean, the waters and the spirits that sway them, and there is a lot of time turning, returning to the ocean, the spirits within. For Reina this is a learning experience, whatever spirituality she was introduced to as a child was trampled by events in her young life. Her desire to know Nesto, to understand what he believes in, drives her to remember his stories. Nesto takes Reina diving, during which she learns to trust in Nesto more and ultimately learns to let go of her fears and see the enchantment of the world within.

Many thanks to Grove Atlantic, NetGalley and to author Patricia Engel for providing me with an advanced copy for reading and review.

[Lisa (NY)]

Paused at page 146. I like Engel's writing but it is too slow and uneventful for me.

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunningly beautiful and completely raw and emotional. I have so many feelings for this book that takes place so close to home but also across a sea, but also deep in the experiences of immigration and community I know, but also mired in the experiences I've only heard of and never knew. It will take me a bit for me to truly gather my thoughts and feelings here, but this will certainly go down as one of the best things I read in 2017.

Full review to follow.

[fatma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

SO BEAUTIFUL 😭

RTC

[Jessie Seymour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another example of why GR should have half-star ratings. I'd definitely give The Veins of the Ocean 4.5 stars, but alas this isn't possible, and I've decided to round up instead of down because my issues are so minor. Firstly, there were a small handful of chapters that simply lost my interest. Nothing major since the chapters are relatively short, but some of those 7-8 pagers (of course it was always the longer ones) that were just a little dull. I also don't know how to feel about all the spanish. Ultimately, I think the language adds to the story, but I also don't speak spanish, and translations weren't provided. I was able to get an idea what the spanish words and phrases meant by context, but I would have loved to know exact meanings. Maybe footnotes would have been useful. I don't know. But there was enough spanish in the book that it stood, and I was never sure how I really felt about it.

But enough of the negatives. Patricia Engel has a gift! Her character and scene development is phenomenal . I read JK Rowling's The Casual Vacancy last year, and that book made me realize how much I value character development. It really makes and breaks a story for me. And The Veins of the Ocean is the first book I've read since that is just as successful as Rowling at this seemingly dying art. The characters are fiction; the scenes are fiction. But I can really see these people. I can fully believe that these characters exist in real life. I believe their stories, their thoughts, their ideals... I believe it all wholeheartedly. And I can believe in every scene - that it all actually happened. That's a special thing to feel from a work of fiction.

This won't be a book for everyone. The plot isn't necessarily exciting. It's not fast-paced and may even lean toward the melodramatic. This book isn't action-packed, and nothing especially interesting happened. If that's what you're looking for in a story, this book will bore you to death. Veins is a book for those of us who value the realistic nature of characters and scenes in fiction. Engel has created a novel full of beautiful sentences that paint an unbelievably real picture of real (yet fictitious) people. Top notch writing and story creation. A perfect example of showing rather than telling that really lets you see and feel what is being described. Loved!

[Stella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was initially very drawn to this book's title. The veins of an ocean could suggest so many things, depth, volatility, life/death, to name a few. I was immediately engrossed with this story of being figuratively and literally imprisoned by one's past and choices. The depth of Reina's unconditional love for her brother even after he committed the most heinous of crimes, made me perplexed and yet it pulled me in as if I too was being lured into an ocean of guilt, remorse, pain, and vulnerability. Her anguish and cold resolve about the haunting's of her past stayed with me for days after finishing this novel. It made me think how much our past and the small details of how we make choices consciously and subconsciously affect the course of our life and those around us. The author used such powerful imagery of water , especially its volatility to create this tone of anything and everything can happen. I especially loved how Engel kept returning back to the moments that led up to the most horrific act of passion. As if you are unwrapping the details of her past with every turn of a page, you are led back to this awful moment and only given a small detail at a time. It kept fooling me into thinking something could have changed the course for so many. Her style of writing made me so possessed, I continued to read into the wee hours of the night until I finished it. The author covered all the topics we as a society are plagued by as well. The love hate relationship we have with immigration, crime, passion and violence. How much we all love to hate /hate to love them all. Never mind how easy it is to relate to Reina's guilt and the emotional prison it put her in. This book is all that, a philosophical, and emotional conversation we all should have with ourselves. This book is beyond a good read it is a re read and more.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hauntingly sad and steeped in regret and loneliness.

I think of my mother and how, when I was a child, she'd take me into the water with her and I felt time suspended in her embrace. How badly I've wanted to return to those moments. We remained under the same roof, but the years pulled us apart, so we could never recover the softness I felt from her under the sun, amid the waves.

Here, in the open ocean, with nobody to hold me at the surface but myself, I become sad for what's become of my mother and me, the ways life hardened us to one another.

[Rincey]

Unfortunately I had to DNF this one because it is due back at the library and I couldn't finish it in time. This book is extremely raw and open in a way that made it hard for me to read big chunks at a time (which is not a negative of the book, but just isn't helpful when you have to return a book to a library).

(Also I usually don't remember to mark my DNFs on Goodreads but lots of people were looking for my opinion on this one)

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has left a hole in my heart.

So good.

It is so sad. The language is so lovely. The sense of place blows my mind. The spirituality is a living, breathing thing (it is so beautiful to read about Santeria in an everyday context and not just associated with fantasy).

I'm not sure I've ever loved an audiobook this much before. I can feel a book hangover coming on.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Veins of the Ocean was a very weird book for me. It’s a lot different from the books I usually read. I was under the impression that this was a mystery/thriller type story, but this is actually a very slow novel that would be closer to a character study than anything else.

When Reina’s brother was a baby, her father threw him off a bridge. Her brother was lucky enough to survive unscathed, but events end up repeating themselves as Reina’s brother in turn ends up throwing his girlfriend's baby off the same bridge. However, this time the child does not survive, leaving Reina consumed with guilt and her brother on death row.

I mean, that sounds like it should be a mystery, doesn’t it? Really, it’s a character story about Reina, and a bit of a love story later in the novel.

I have to give the author a lot of credit, because Reina is one of the most real characters I’ve ever read about. She feels authentic and like an actual person from page one. The writing honestly felt like Reina was a real person telling her story.

However, this is a book you need a lot of patience for. It’s a long and slow read, and it can get tedious. The beginning is very compelling, but the story definitely slows toward the middle.

I would also say this is a story with “unlikable” characters. They’re very flawed, all of them. I actually felt uncomfortable several times while reading this. I also found this to be a kind of depressing book. I still liked the themes and the story being told, even if it did make me hate humanity a little more…

A diverse and slow building character driven novel. Definitely on the literary fiction side. If you’re a patient reader I think there’s a lot of good in this book, but it’s certainly not a novel for everyone.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When he found out his wife was unfaithful, Hector Castillo told his son to get in the car because they were going fishing." So begins the story of The Veins of the Ocean, with a trip that forever marks the lives of Carlito Castillo and his younger sister Reina, our eyes and ears to the enchanting world that unravels within the book.

Years after the incident that begins the tale, Reina Castillo lives a lonely life, visiting her brother in prison as he serves time for a horrendous crime. After his death, she moves to the Florida Keys and meets Nesto Cadena who introduces her to the ocean, teaching her how to dive and telling her stories of the spirits that reign deep within. Both Nesto and Reina are exiles, Nesto from Cuba and Reina from Cartagena in Colombia, and it's this experience of dislocation and loneliness that brings the two together.

Reminiscent of books by Junot Diaz, Patricia Engel's writing shines as she explores the complicated relationship between a migrant and his home, and distills the difficult history of both Cuba and Colombia into tales of the lives of ordinary people who do their best to endure. At its heart, The Veins of the Ocean is an evocative story of finding home and with every page the reader becomes increasingly immersed in the search.

[rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up from 3.5 stars. Patricia Engel has an undeniable talent; she is an elegant writer and develops her grieving, displaced characters in a way that feels natural and realistic. I enjoyed the slow-burn romance between Nestor and Reina and very much enjoyed the spirituality in the book (Nestor tells Reina many stories about the Yoruban orishas, elemental deities who are the forces and fabric of our living world).

But I also do think this book is at least 50 pages longer than it needs to be and there is a not-insignificant amount of repetition, particularly with the "caged animal vs. wild and free" metaphor that applies to every character in different ways. The book at one point even features Reina and Nestor literally freeing a dolphin from captivity. I would have liked to see that plot point go further, rather than exist simply to further a metaphor.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you read this book? Why haven't you read this book? It is absolutely gorgeous and heartbreaking. It is a story of love, loss, grief, redemption and finding yourself. I loved it - and not just because it is set in places so familiar to me. It may be the best thing I have read this year and I would like to thank Roxane Gay and the good folks at Book Riot for turning me on to this gem of a novel. Read it.

[Wendy Cosin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel about immigrants to south Florida from Columbia and Cuba, The Veins of the Ocean delves into family trauma/relationships, guilt, and loss. The author writes about prison, as well as the larger questions about freedom and the prisons that society perpetuates. Descriptions of the ocean and geography, family customs, dreams, and references to Afro-Caribbean spirituality add depth, as does the natural inclusion of Spanish in the dialogue.

I enjoyed the book a lot, especially the sections about the characters' lives in the Florida Keys and in Cuba. There could be interesting conversations about how much is Reina's devotion to her brother was motivated by guilt, rather than 'just' love, and how guilt plays roles in all of the characters' lives.

Lots of fun information, including interviews and a musical playlist from the following link:

http://patriciaengel.com/news/