Outcast

by José Latour

The Edgar Award-nominated Outcast is a sophisticated, brutally honest, and gripping suspense novel that delves into the highly charged underworlds of modern-day Havana and Miami. Elliot Steil, the son of a Cuban mother and an American-born laborer living on the island before the revolution, is a down-on-his-luck schoolteacher in Havana. Like so many of his fellow Havanans, he has come to accept his rather dull life and for the most part has given up hoping for a better future. But unexpectedly he is offered the opportunity to escape when a man appears on the island, claiming to be an old friend of Elliot's deceased father. The man offers to take Elliot to the United States, but it isn't long before he reveals his ulterior motives and Elliot is left to die in the dangerous waters of the Florida Straits. It is there that Elliot begins to relive the events of his life that have haunted him since his childhood. He is miraculously rescued by a family onboard a makeshift raft and soon after arriving in Miami begins his search for the man who betrayed him. As the search immerses him deeper and deeper into Miami's darker side of crime and corruption, he slowly unravels the mystery of his bicultural past and its links to the man who knew his father many decades earlier. Outcast is at once a brilliantly atmospheric and stunningly written literary achievement and the dazzling American debut of one of Latin America's most accomplished crime writers.

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Mystery

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

José Latour was born in Havana, Cuba, on April 24, 1940. He started read­ing at a very ten­der age, pro­gress­ing from Hans Chris­t­ian Ander­sen and the Grimm broth­ers as a child to Ray­mond Chan­dler and Erle Stan­ley Gard­ner in his late teens.

By the time the Cuban Rev­o­lu­tion came to power, José, who was 19, had become an ardent sup­porter. He joined the Min­istry of Trea­sury as a junior finan­cial ana­lyst and trans­la­tor and later moved on to the Cuban Cen­tral Bank. From there he trans­ferred to the Min­istry of Sugar, end­ing up in the State Com­mit­tee of Finance, where from 1977 onwards he swelled the ranks.

Shuf­fling papers, how­ever, was not chal­leng­ing enough. In that same year José started writ­ing crime fic­tion in his spare time. His first three nov­els (Pre­lu­dio a la Noche, Medi­anoche Ene­miga and Fauna Noc­tura), set in pre-revolutionary Havana, were pub­lished by Edi­to­r­ial Letras Cubanas in 1982, 1986 and 1989. The fourth (Choque de Leyen­das), was launched in 1998, nine years after he first deliv­ered the man­u­script to the publisher.

José also joined the Union of Cuban Writ­ers and Artists and the Inter­na­tional Asso­ci­a­tion of Crime Writ­ers (IACW) in1988. Two years later he resigned his posi­tion as global finan­cial ana­lyst in the Min­istry of Finance to become a full-time writer. In 1998 he was elected vice-president for Latin Amer­ica of the Inter­na­tional Asso­ci­a­tion of Crime Writers.

In 1994 José deliv­ered to his pub­lisher The Fool, a novel based on a real-life case of cor­rup­tion in the min­istries of the Inte­rior and the Armed Forces that was uncov­ered in 1989. This book was con­sid­ered coun­ter­rev­o­lu­tion­ary and José was labeled an “enemy of the people.”

Cer­tain that nei­ther The Fool nor the books he wanted to write would get pub­lished in Cuba as long as all pub­lish­ing houses were state-owned, reject­ing ide­o­log­i­cal sub­servience and adamant about pur­su­ing a career as a nov­el­ist, José took a shot at writ­ing in English.

His first novel in that lan­guage, Out­cast, was pub­lished in the U.S., six West­ern Euro­pean coun­tries, Brazil and Japan. It got flat­ter­ing reviews and was nom­i­nated for an Edgar. Since, he has penned Havana Best Friends (2002), Havana World Series (2003), Com­rades in Miami (2005), The Young Eng­lish­man (2009 - as Enrique Clio), and Crime of Fash­ion (2009).

Seek­ing cre­ative fic­tion and fear­ing dic­ta­to­r­ial repres­sion, the author and his fam­ily moved to Spain in August 2002 and to Canada in Sep­tem­ber 2004.

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the author’s portrayal of Havana in the beginning and the whole atmosphere of the novel. I kind of didn’t like any of the characters except for Fidelia because she was the only normal one. I think that’s fine though. Also I thought the lawyer plot was kind of beast, but I am concerned for everyone’s future. Kind of thought it was unrealistic how many murders and kidnappings and mail bombs Shelly got away with but I appreciated it in a Joker kind of way. Also very impressed that he wrote this in his second language. Overall liked the book and would recommend.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a pleasure to reread Latour after many years; his first chapter swept me right back to the Havana I'd visualized on my first read. Our hero Eliot Steil loves his Cuba, not so much his government and dictator, although he puts on a good show. But Havana is just the beginning; this story of intrigue and deception peels away plot twists like the layer of an onion. Miami in the '90s is the setting for the majority of the book; Latour's strict prose makes it easy to see the action, and his colourful descriptions of characters and locale make this a gem. Five big estrellas.

[Rare · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining crime novel that also provided some insight into life in Cuba, this is an enjoyable read that is even more meaningful after a trip to Cuba. While the bulk of the story was set in Florida, it was the Cuban aspect that made this such an interesting read. The background and culture of the Cuban immigrant played a significant role in this story. Jose Latour is a good writer and the book is much more than a plot-driven mystery.

[JwW White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Latour is a wonderful writer and "Outcast" is his best. He uses his long history as a native-born Cuban to set his articles in and around Havana. Not all of his books are represented on Goodreads but they are all worth reading.

[Despina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing novel, very well written. Includes all elements, life in Cuba, emigration to Miami, and adapting to a new environment, in a thriller, twist and turn way, including a tender love story. Highly recommended.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loves this book. So well written and unfolds beautifully.

[Richard Janzen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting suspence novel. Good glimpse of Cuban and Miami life. Read it before Comrades in Miami if you don't want to know what happens... I blew it on that one. Aug 07

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Independent on Sunday describes this as “a masterful book…passionate, frightening and extremely violent.”

In reality, it is none of these things. It’s fine. I enjoyed it. For the most part it is well written, the characters make sense in the context of the book and the plot line just about keeps you involved to the end. I do wonder how much my interest in the time period and location helped my enjoyment of it, it’s not the most exciting book in the world.

But it’s fine. I enjoyed it. I won’t be rushing out to buy another José Latour but if I see one in a secondhand shop I might grab it and give it a shot.

[Barbara Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unputdownable,

Fast paced mystery thriller. Original plot. Interesting protagonist. Assured writing. Highly recommended. Unpredictable twists. Satisfying conclusion. Would happily read more by this author.

[Porl Smith]

I always admire an author who can write in a second language. José Latour not only writes a cracking crime thriller but also evokes the very essence of what it's like to be an ordinary Cuban living through the revolution.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Elliot Steill is an unhappy teacher in Havana when a man offers a chance to escape. He's betrayed and pursues the man in Miami.

[D.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ενδιαφέρον, αλλά λίγο κουραστικό

[Paul Sand · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Imported automatically from my blog. Some formatting there may not have translated here.]

This is how out-of-control my to-be-read pile can get: I saw this book (written in 1999) recommended somewhere, but that source is lost in the mist of time. ('Twas probably in a "hardcore right-wing radical" publication or website, see below.) Sometime after that, I must have found it on a remainder table somewhere, because there's a "Retail $24.00/Our Price $5.00" sticker on the front. And, now, finally…

Don't let my procrastination mislead you, it's good. The author, José Latour, is sort of a Cuban Elmore Leonard. He was a dedicated functionary in the Communist bureaucracy for years, becoming a full-time writer in 1990. He then got in a spot of trouble for writing a book (The Fool) that fictionalized the actual corruption in Cuban government. This book, Outcast, was his first effort written in English, and he got it published outside Cuba. Eventually, "seking creative fiction and fearing dictatorial repression", José moved to Spain in 2002 and now lives in Canada.

This book's hero, Elliot Stiel, is a lowly English teacher in Havana. His professional life is constrained by the perception that he's politically unreliable. He's divorced, drinks too much, going through the motions, waiting for the undertaker to come.

Unexpectedly, he's offered a new life by an obviously well-to-do American who claims to have known Elliot's long-missing father. All he has to do is rendezvous with an offshore yacht, and … well, double-unexpectedly, Elliot finds himself the victim of murderous betrayal. But he makes it to Miami, and starts working on his plan for vengeance. This requires some quick moneymaking, which (in turn) involves immersion in Floridian low-to-medium level criminal activities. Eventually, the super-twisty plot works itself to a conclusion.

Latour's depiction of post-USSR Cuba is honest, and therefore bleak. Not that he's all that easy on America: Elliot's observations of relative abundance lead him to conclude that It's All About the Benjamins here in the USA. That unsubtle conclusion is easy to live with, because Latour keeps things moving and interesting.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the period just following the collapse of the Soviet Union and Cuba's loss of it's trading partner and financial support, Jose Latour's Outcast is a frightening picture of Cuba's poverty, isolation and political suspicion.

The outcast is Elliot Steil, who tries desperately to toe the line and obey the rules of his native Cuba, but fails to be accepted, passively accepting his lot. An unexpected rescue, near death at sea, and an unexpected rescue finds him in Miami where finally, he learns to bend the rules just a bit.

Cubanos in Havana and in Miami are wonderfully drawn with telling stories. Outcast is a triumph of innate human goodness, the marvelous adaptability of the spirit, and a great read.

--Ashland Mystery

[Maria Maniaci · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept putting my head down and trying to get through this one, but it was a chore. It have to scratch my head at this getting published. The writing is choppy, cliche-ridden, and full of beginner's mistakes -- telling not showing, character tags, all sorts of cute-sy dialogue tags instead of 'he said.' If you get past that, you can look forward to a ridiculous, sketchy plot, unmotivated murder and violence that makes no sense, two dimensional characterizations, but if you stick it out, in the end you're rewarded with 1.) a stereotypical sex obsessed gay antagonist (tm) and 2.) characters speaking long manifesto-esque soliloquies at each other.

Not recommended.

[The Twins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elliot Steil lives a rather miserable life in Cuba but has resigned himself to it until he's offered a ticket out. Dumped by his supposed rescuer and fighting for his life he arrives in Miami and is determined on revenge.
You get a good insight into Cuban life and the book has some nice twists and surprises but is overall quite dark.

[Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly good read. I picked this up on a whim because I am interested in the Cuban lifestyle. Whilst the book only touches on the Cuban issue, the story took over and was enjoyable.

The change in the main character was a little hard to swallow though as he went from meek likeable easy going guy to hard edged super criminal in just a few months!

[Bill Thibadeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a bit surprised by the reviews I have read of this book. I have read three of Jose Latour's books. I found this one to be the least interesting. The story started out interesting while it was set in Cuba. Once the teacher left Cuba, the story became a bit convoluted. I didn't find the characters to warrant my interest.

[Mike Bygrave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot and sub-plots are good and well thought out, the characters are generally well rounded and interesting, and I really like Latour's style.

That said, there are a few minor gaps in the main plot that could have been filled, and some of the sub-plots could have been developed further. But these minor niggles don't detract from a really good read.

[Walter Conley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very well-written, but uneven book. I enjoyed the first section, which took place in Cuba and the Gulf, more than the rest. The pacing threw me off a little. Some parts were meticulously detailed (one of the novel's strengths) and deliberately paced, while other parts felt rushed, almost tacked-on. I do plan to read more by the author now.

[Kristine Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fabulous book - eye opening for the conditions in Cuba, a character who you can't help but like... and a great story that grips you.

[Deisy Fundora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maravillosa historia, de lucha y traision.

[Lisdanay · Rating 3 out of 5]

La historia te mantiene atrapado a través de las páginas del libro. Brinda un panorama bastante convincente de la vida cubana durante la Revolución hasta la década de los 90.

[Theodore Kinni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining with plenty of twists and turns

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thriller/mystery which begins in Havana, Cuba, and ends in Florida. Lots of twists and turns along the way.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

set in Cuba & Miami