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High Spirits
High Spirits is a collection of eleven interconnected short stories from the Dominican diaspora, from debut author Camille Gomera-Tavarez. It is a book centered on one extended family the Beléns across multiple generations. It is set in the fictional small town of Hidalpa and Santo Domingo and Paterson and San Juan and Washington Heights too. It is told in a style both utterly real and distinctly magical and its stories explore machismo, mental health, family, and identity. But most of all, High Spirits represents the first book from Camille Gomera-Tavarez, who takes her place as one of the most extraordinary new voices to emerge in years.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 5, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
July 1, 2022
Thanks to Levine Querido Books for my ARC of “High Spirits” by Camille Gomera-Tavarez for an honest review. 📚 ❤️ 🥰
Familiarize briefly with the included family tree at the front of this book then dive right in to these exquisite stories every one of us will identify with on some level. The stories beautifully interconnect. You’ll breathe in each tale that’s perfectly described with just enough details that you’ll feel like the author is personally telling you each story. You’ll feel a part of this wonderful family in no time, like it’s an extension of your own. Wonderful summer read.
Familiarize briefly with the included family tree at the front of this book then dive right in to these exquisite stories every one of us will identify with on some level. The stories beautifully interconnect. You’ll breathe in each tale that’s perfectly described with just enough details that you’ll feel like the author is personally telling you each story. You’ll feel a part of this wonderful family in no time, like it’s an extension of your own. Wonderful summer read.
July 3, 2022
Camille Gomera-Tavarez what a great book. I think the author did a great job of taking a classic style (family story with some magical realism thrown in) and adapting it to a more modern story and setting. The story moves very quickly and I enjoyed it throughout. I really enjoyed the way the book was structured, weaving in different stories about one extended family and their relationships with each other. The story moves very quickly and I enjoyed it throughout. I definitely enjoyed the book. It said on the back that this is the author's first book and I hope that she writes more. Highly recommend.
May 10, 2022
This work is a collection of short stories that are all connected in various ways. They follow an extended family who are from the Dominican Republic originally. The stories explore themes of mental health, race, displacement, identity. sexuality, and family and include some moments of magical realism.
I really enjoyed this read. The author excellently wove together several short stories that had some repeating characters and explored important themes. While the author didn’t have a full book to develop the characters, they weren’t lacking in depth or feeling. They all felt relatable and realistic in a way that brought their stories to life. I also loved the story that utilized some magical realism to convey a family’s history through the eyes of its women.
I listened to the audiobook of this work. The narrator did an excellent job with these stories; I highly recommend giving it a listen! And I look forward to reading more works by this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I really enjoyed this read. The author excellently wove together several short stories that had some repeating characters and explored important themes. While the author didn’t have a full book to develop the characters, they weren’t lacking in depth or feeling. They all felt relatable and realistic in a way that brought their stories to life. I also loved the story that utilized some magical realism to convey a family’s history through the eyes of its women.
I listened to the audiobook of this work. The narrator did an excellent job with these stories; I highly recommend giving it a listen! And I look forward to reading more works by this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
July 7, 2022
"He'd never experienced belonging to a tribe like this. They all fit together like a scene out of a novela. It was intoxicating. The smell of salt mixed with affectionate splashes shimmering in the sun."
I loved the writing and culture.
"As much as logic was pulling his brain, insisting he'd had a harmless daydream, Jorge felt his past spirits cementing themselves within him, forming community. He would never be okay again. He could never just be him - singular. His body belonged to them."
I liked how the stories intertwined, but I didn't understand all of the connections between all of them.
I loved the writing and culture.
"As much as logic was pulling his brain, insisting he'd had a harmless daydream, Jorge felt his past spirits cementing themselves within him, forming community. He would never be okay again. He could never just be him - singular. His body belonged to them."
I liked how the stories intertwined, but I didn't understand all of the connections between all of them.
May 9, 2022
What a staggering debut.
January 15, 2023
As much of a faux pas as it is to discuss aesthetics in the world of books/within bibliophile circles, when discussing High Spirits it actually makes every bit of sense to start there (and would be very much a disservice not to). I was fortunate enough to attend a signing/Q&A/release party for the book, where Gomera-Tavarez mentioned her background in illustration and graphic design. Given this, she likely had a hand in the book's final design/presentation (an exceptionally unique experience as an author) and it shows: the brilliant pop of color (a cross between neon pink and electric purple, accented with an iridescent indigo font) revealed upon removal of the book jacket was dazzling and refreshing. What's more, use of this eye-catching color scheme is very much on brand with Gomera-Tavarez's own bearing: unabashed, resolute. At the book signing, her keeping true to not only her creative side but the book's own aesthetic theme by intentionally signing and dedicating each book in bright pink marker was a clever touch that wasn't lost on me.
Conversely, while I appreciated the hand-drawn aspect of the included family tree (and what I can only infer was Gomera-Tavarez's aim to be nonconformist and organic), I unfortunately found it hard to read/follow. The fact that it was hand-drawn actually factored very little into this—I think the included information being displayed and/or laid out differently probably could have precluded potential confusion. Those times I was making my way through a story and attempted to reference back to it for clarification the tree unfortunately helped very little, if at all. I often found myself having to make do with piecing together familial affiliations by using narrative clues instead.
Composition-wise, it's tempting to categorize the stories included as vignettes given their brevity and their semblance to snapshots in time. By definition a vignette lacks a plot sequence (beginning, middle, end), a conflict, and a protagonist. Yet because the stories of High Spirits do in fact contain all of these elements, they rightfully qualify as short stories. What Gomera-Tavarez often relays in hers is that a seemingly simple, innocuous memory can have the power to transport. Through them, she imparts too that not every memory that comprises a person is necessarily laden with profound significance. Instead, they can just be everyday occurrences that for some unknown reason takes residence in one’s mind. Also, just as memory is fleeting, the retention of one is not formulaic or necessarily "logical": the human mind can oftentimes dismiss what others may deem "significant," but instead retain what would have been discounted as superfluous. Yet it's the seemingly superfluous and inconsequential that the collection's stories highlight.
The fluidity of time, the seamless transition between past and present is a central, binding theme throughout. I appreciated that the stories kept true to this dynamic in refraining from inclusion or mention of months or years at the opening of each chapter (or at any point within the stories themselves). The only included details that could provide such hints with regard to time or chronology, were occasional pop culture references (like Aribel and Rafaela crooning the lyrics of Aventura's hit 2002 song "Obsesión" in "Domino").
For me as a Dominican reader who could so often relate to the experiences relayed and the milieus described, in many ways the collection offered up a welcomed dose of nostalgia. The mention of frío frío (62, "Vamo 'pa la Playa") and limoncillos (117, "Skipping Stones") were but some of these. The stories also made consistent reference to widely-accepted arenas of Dominican influence, like baseball ("Colmado"), dominos ("Domino"), and volleyball ("Payphone," "Domino"). This additionally served to strengthen plotlines and the composition of Gomera-Tavarez's characters as actual people, even outside the microcosmic context of their respective stories.
Thematically, Gomera-Tavarez covers a great deal:
sexism and traditional gender roles ("Payphone," "Bárbaro," "Skipping Stones," "High Spirits"),
machismo ("Colmado, "Swimming in Circles", "Cut Day," "Bárbaro," "Domino," "High Spirits"),
familial constructs ("Vamo 'pa la playa," "Bárbaro"),
colorism and racism ("Vamo 'pa la playa," "Payphone," "Bárbaro," "Life After the Storm," "High Spirits"),
mental and emotional health ("Stickball," "Swimming in Circles"), sexual identity ("Skipping Stones"),
ancestry and legacy ("Life After the Storm," "High Spirits"),
heredity ("Life After the Storm"), and
diaspora/the next generation (throughout).
In her stories Gomera-Tavarez pushes a number of envelopes, including many that have long existed but have been intentionally and meticulously suppressed within many cultures, including the one she and I have in common. Ana in "Skipping Stones" embodied exactly this with regard to her sexual identity, while Jorge transcending time and space to experience key moments in the lives of his foremothers in "Life After the Storm" was bold and gender-bending (since the historical convention and the expectation within the context of these stories, for example, likely would have been for one of the Belén girls to have had this experience instead). Also, the idea of Gabriel's gift (or curse, depending on perspective) having seemingly been inherited by his nephew Jorge was an illuminating concept within the scope of familial and generational inheritance. Aribel and Rafaela being admitted to and proving themselves formidable opponents in the domino tournament, as well as Aribel recalling the manner in which she acquired her game-playing prowess as a child ("Domino," 170), further challenged the concept of traditional gender roles (since domino-playing in Dominican culture has been a historically male-dominated pastime).
Story-wise, my hands-down favorites were "Skipping Stones," "Bárbaro," and "Life After the Storm." In spite of Gomera-Tavarez being new on the scene (at least in a mainstream sense) and only in her early 20s, she's definitely emerged audaciously. I'm interested in reading her future works and witnessing how she'll undoubtedly evolve in style and expression in her writing. As a fellow Dominicana, I applaud her achievement in succeeding in having High Spirits published (definitely no small feat!) and her contribution to the steadily growing list of published Dominican writers of note.
Noteworthy lines and passages:
"Because, you see, Gabriel's family knew absolutely everything about the carefully constructed persona he'd spent his adult life presenting to them. He'd pieced it together with the caring, gentle hands of the piñata sculptor he would pass on the way to his grandmother's house as a boy. Each slice of wet newspaper a little bit of the truth, hardening into a fragile shell over time." ("Stickball," 2)
"The pale blue paint on the house exterior had deeper cracks than her abuelo's toasted hands, its hue fading faster than his fleeting mind." ("Colmado," 15)
"Despite pressures to adopt her father's town as her own, Cristabel had never been able to shake the American city she'd known for most of her life. The languidness of the day in Hidalpa weighed on her as densely as its humid summer air. She often tried to combat the New Yorker within who desired fast walking and trains to catch, but it was a losing fight. Hidalpa was a history she'd inherited, but it was not her own." ("Colmado," 16)
"Her days were spent running around the peaceful streets swatting sticks at other children and returning home for endless amounts of white-cold glass soda bottles from the colmado's back fridge [...] She could never figure out as a child why the sodas in Dominican Republic tasted better than any other soda she'd ever had. When she grew older she realized the secret ingredient — real cane sugar from the fields, with a deep sweetness as refreshing as mint." ("Colmado," 18-9)
"It was like another dimension. Something like the Heights, but also something entirely new. A glimpse into the life he could be leading if his parents had made different decisions." ("Payphone," 76-7)
"The mini rollers in her own hair were hanging on for dear life. She was a woman who was always waiting to let her hair out — waiting for an event or an appointment or someone worthwhile. Yoanson didn't understand why she spent hours every week sitting in an inferno just to cover her hair up the next day. Like she was saving up every last ounce of her beauty for the day she would finally need it." ("Bárbaro," 95)
"...Jorge felt his past spirits cementing themselves within him, forming community." ("Life After the Storm," 159)
"Most days that year after a starch-heavy supper, along with the children and the elderly, a teenage Aribel could be dependably found sharing a bed with her pregnant Tía for an afternoon nap. She savored these naps. The midday air would settle into beads of sweat on her caramel skin as a dusty plastic fan blew salt crystals onto her back. And she would wake up clammy and delirious, somewhere outside of time and space, until her mother shouting disbelief at her daughter's laziness would tune the girl's ears into focus. And the sun would bleed into the next day's siesta hour." ("Domino," 163)
Conversely, while I appreciated the hand-drawn aspect of the included family tree (and what I can only infer was Gomera-Tavarez's aim to be nonconformist and organic), I unfortunately found it hard to read/follow. The fact that it was hand-drawn actually factored very little into this—I think the included information being displayed and/or laid out differently probably could have precluded potential confusion. Those times I was making my way through a story and attempted to reference back to it for clarification the tree unfortunately helped very little, if at all. I often found myself having to make do with piecing together familial affiliations by using narrative clues instead.
Composition-wise, it's tempting to categorize the stories included as vignettes given their brevity and their semblance to snapshots in time. By definition a vignette lacks a plot sequence (beginning, middle, end), a conflict, and a protagonist. Yet because the stories of High Spirits do in fact contain all of these elements, they rightfully qualify as short stories. What Gomera-Tavarez often relays in hers is that a seemingly simple, innocuous memory can have the power to transport. Through them, she imparts too that not every memory that comprises a person is necessarily laden with profound significance. Instead, they can just be everyday occurrences that for some unknown reason takes residence in one’s mind. Also, just as memory is fleeting, the retention of one is not formulaic or necessarily "logical": the human mind can oftentimes dismiss what others may deem "significant," but instead retain what would have been discounted as superfluous. Yet it's the seemingly superfluous and inconsequential that the collection's stories highlight.
The fluidity of time, the seamless transition between past and present is a central, binding theme throughout. I appreciated that the stories kept true to this dynamic in refraining from inclusion or mention of months or years at the opening of each chapter (or at any point within the stories themselves). The only included details that could provide such hints with regard to time or chronology, were occasional pop culture references (like Aribel and Rafaela crooning the lyrics of Aventura's hit 2002 song "Obsesión" in "Domino").
For me as a Dominican reader who could so often relate to the experiences relayed and the milieus described, in many ways the collection offered up a welcomed dose of nostalgia. The mention of frío frío (62, "Vamo 'pa la Playa") and limoncillos (117, "Skipping Stones") were but some of these. The stories also made consistent reference to widely-accepted arenas of Dominican influence, like baseball ("Colmado"), dominos ("Domino"), and volleyball ("Payphone," "Domino"). This additionally served to strengthen plotlines and the composition of Gomera-Tavarez's characters as actual people, even outside the microcosmic context of their respective stories.
Thematically, Gomera-Tavarez covers a great deal:
sexism and traditional gender roles ("Payphone," "Bárbaro," "Skipping Stones," "High Spirits"),
machismo ("Colmado, "Swimming in Circles", "Cut Day," "Bárbaro," "Domino," "High Spirits"),
familial constructs ("Vamo 'pa la playa," "Bárbaro"),
colorism and racism ("Vamo 'pa la playa," "Payphone," "Bárbaro," "Life After the Storm," "High Spirits"),
mental and emotional health ("Stickball," "Swimming in Circles"), sexual identity ("Skipping Stones"),
ancestry and legacy ("Life After the Storm," "High Spirits"),
heredity ("Life After the Storm"), and
diaspora/the next generation (throughout).
In her stories Gomera-Tavarez pushes a number of envelopes, including many that have long existed but have been intentionally and meticulously suppressed within many cultures, including the one she and I have in common. Ana in "Skipping Stones" embodied exactly this with regard to her sexual identity, while Jorge transcending time and space to experience key moments in the lives of his foremothers in "Life After the Storm" was bold and gender-bending (since the historical convention and the expectation within the context of these stories, for example, likely would have been for one of the Belén girls to have had this experience instead). Also, the idea of Gabriel's gift (or curse, depending on perspective) having seemingly been inherited by his nephew Jorge was an illuminating concept within the scope of familial and generational inheritance. Aribel and Rafaela being admitted to and proving themselves formidable opponents in the domino tournament, as well as Aribel recalling the manner in which she acquired her game-playing prowess as a child ("Domino," 170), further challenged the concept of traditional gender roles (since domino-playing in Dominican culture has been a historically male-dominated pastime).
Story-wise, my hands-down favorites were "Skipping Stones," "Bárbaro," and "Life After the Storm." In spite of Gomera-Tavarez being new on the scene (at least in a mainstream sense) and only in her early 20s, she's definitely emerged audaciously. I'm interested in reading her future works and witnessing how she'll undoubtedly evolve in style and expression in her writing. As a fellow Dominicana, I applaud her achievement in succeeding in having High Spirits published (definitely no small feat!) and her contribution to the steadily growing list of published Dominican writers of note.
Noteworthy lines and passages:
"Because, you see, Gabriel's family knew absolutely everything about the carefully constructed persona he'd spent his adult life presenting to them. He'd pieced it together with the caring, gentle hands of the piñata sculptor he would pass on the way to his grandmother's house as a boy. Each slice of wet newspaper a little bit of the truth, hardening into a fragile shell over time." ("Stickball," 2)
"The pale blue paint on the house exterior had deeper cracks than her abuelo's toasted hands, its hue fading faster than his fleeting mind." ("Colmado," 15)
"Despite pressures to adopt her father's town as her own, Cristabel had never been able to shake the American city she'd known for most of her life. The languidness of the day in Hidalpa weighed on her as densely as its humid summer air. She often tried to combat the New Yorker within who desired fast walking and trains to catch, but it was a losing fight. Hidalpa was a history she'd inherited, but it was not her own." ("Colmado," 16)
"Her days were spent running around the peaceful streets swatting sticks at other children and returning home for endless amounts of white-cold glass soda bottles from the colmado's back fridge [...] She could never figure out as a child why the sodas in Dominican Republic tasted better than any other soda she'd ever had. When she grew older she realized the secret ingredient — real cane sugar from the fields, with a deep sweetness as refreshing as mint." ("Colmado," 18-9)
"It was like another dimension. Something like the Heights, but also something entirely new. A glimpse into the life he could be leading if his parents had made different decisions." ("Payphone," 76-7)
"The mini rollers in her own hair were hanging on for dear life. She was a woman who was always waiting to let her hair out — waiting for an event or an appointment or someone worthwhile. Yoanson didn't understand why she spent hours every week sitting in an inferno just to cover her hair up the next day. Like she was saving up every last ounce of her beauty for the day she would finally need it." ("Bárbaro," 95)
"...Jorge felt his past spirits cementing themselves within him, forming community." ("Life After the Storm," 159)
"Most days that year after a starch-heavy supper, along with the children and the elderly, a teenage Aribel could be dependably found sharing a bed with her pregnant Tía for an afternoon nap. She savored these naps. The midday air would settle into beads of sweat on her caramel skin as a dusty plastic fan blew salt crystals onto her back. And she would wake up clammy and delirious, somewhere outside of time and space, until her mother shouting disbelief at her daughter's laziness would tune the girl's ears into focus. And the sun would bleed into the next day's siesta hour." ("Domino," 163)
July 31, 2023
R͎e͎a͎d͎ ͎d͎a͎t͎e͎:͎ July 29 - July 31 2023
R͎a͎t͎i͎n͎g͎:͎ 2 stars
O͎w͎n͎e͎d͎ ͎s͎i͎n͎c͎e͎: June 14th 2023
P͎u͎r͎c͎h͎a͎s͎e͎d͎ ͎a͎t͎:͎ Goodwill
P͎r͎i͎c͎e͎:͎? 69¢
ARC addition
R͎a͎t͎i͎n͎g͎:͎ 2 stars
O͎w͎n͎e͎d͎ ͎s͎i͎n͎c͎e͎: June 14th 2023
P͎u͎r͎c͎h͎a͎s͎e͎d͎ ͎a͎t͎:͎ Goodwill
P͎r͎i͎c͎e͎:͎? 69¢
ARC addition
August 12, 2022
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
One of my new favorite books of all time!
This debut work of art by Camille Gomera-Tavarez features a series of short stories about a Dominican family with family members living in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic. Through these short stories Gomera-Tavarez present a beautiful weaving of story telling and discussion of important topics such as feminism, the Dominican diaspora, mental health, religion, brujeria, gender roles and more. The writing is incredibly descriptive and beautiful and by the end of the book you feel like you are a part of the Belen family, or at the very least a close community member that has been adopted in. It amazes me to realize that this is only Gomera-Tavarez's first book! I really hope that she keeps writing and would love to read more work by her. Absolutely in love with her writing style!
I experienced this book as an audiobook and absolutely love the narration provided by Coral Peña is a masterpiece. I will be in the lookout for other books narrated by her.
#HighSpirits #NetGalley
One of my new favorite books of all time!
This debut work of art by Camille Gomera-Tavarez features a series of short stories about a Dominican family with family members living in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic. Through these short stories Gomera-Tavarez present a beautiful weaving of story telling and discussion of important topics such as feminism, the Dominican diaspora, mental health, religion, brujeria, gender roles and more. The writing is incredibly descriptive and beautiful and by the end of the book you feel like you are a part of the Belen family, or at the very least a close community member that has been adopted in. It amazes me to realize that this is only Gomera-Tavarez's first book! I really hope that she keeps writing and would love to read more work by her. Absolutely in love with her writing style!
I experienced this book as an audiobook and absolutely love the narration provided by Coral Peña is a masterpiece. I will be in the lookout for other books narrated by her.
#HighSpirits #NetGalley
May 18, 2022
Thanks to netgalley for the audio arc, All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this book. I did feel like some of the concepts weren't developed properly, and I found it confusing to read at times. I also wished the book was a bit longer, as it stopped rather abruptly.
I really enjoyed this book. I did feel like some of the concepts weren't developed properly, and I found it confusing to read at times. I also wished the book was a bit longer, as it stopped rather abruptly.
April 7, 2022
With simplicity Gomera-Tavarez tells such a vibrant collection of intergenerational connected stories that speak to family, migration, love, and identity.
There was a lot to relate to in these stories: the colourism on the island, the importance of language and the link to familial lands; how children and grandchildren interact with their sexuality and existing mental illness knowing the stigma that is held by family members and the impact of religion and superstitious beliefs in approaching them.
The clarity with which Gomera-Tavarez evoked a domino game, the rebelliousness of teenagers, and the use of banishment to the island as a form of discipline were all so familiar and on point that I could not stop reading.
The coming-of-age stories, the use of the supernatural to share a history passed down through women, and the fear of not truly belonging to this family endeared these characters to me and I wanted more of their stories and more time with them.
There was a lot to relate to in these stories: the colourism on the island, the importance of language and the link to familial lands; how children and grandchildren interact with their sexuality and existing mental illness knowing the stigma that is held by family members and the impact of religion and superstitious beliefs in approaching them.
The clarity with which Gomera-Tavarez evoked a domino game, the rebelliousness of teenagers, and the use of banishment to the island as a form of discipline were all so familiar and on point that I could not stop reading.
The coming-of-age stories, the use of the supernatural to share a history passed down through women, and the fear of not truly belonging to this family endeared these characters to me and I wanted more of their stories and more time with them.
April 30, 2022
I really enjoyed this book! I see a lot of potential from this debut author and her writing and characters and the way she explores topics like family and machismo and the elderly and how the youth are passed on their teachings but also paving their own mannerisms and path to forming their own identity.
Read
January 30, 2024Gomez-Tavarez takes the family tree at the beginning of this book and brilliant weaves interweaving stories of a Dominican family. Full review to come.
May 6, 2022
High Spirits follows a Dominican family through tiny experiences that impact the bigger sphere of their lives. It begins with an illustration of a family tree, which was really dope in my opinion, and moves through continents, countries, states, and time with each person listed on that tree. Through their experiences, the author covers topics such as belonging, machismo, the stereotypes placed on hair, sexuality, and more.
It’s a beautiful book, but it lacked something for me. Taking into account that I struggled a bit with Blackout, it may just be that I’m not the right person for short story collections that are interconnected by one theme. But I can appreciate the talent it takes to bring together a book with so many complex topics.
I really appreciated the world-building in the story about the bracelet. There’s also a story about a young boy who is given space to appreciate his natural hair and it was a breath of fresh air to see that theme play out in a different gender than I am used to reading.
It was a cute and quick read that I hope falls into the hands of a young person that needs to see themselves and their experiences reflected in a book.
It’s a beautiful book, but it lacked something for me. Taking into account that I struggled a bit with Blackout, it may just be that I’m not the right person for short story collections that are interconnected by one theme. But I can appreciate the talent it takes to bring together a book with so many complex topics.
I really appreciated the world-building in the story about the bracelet. There’s also a story about a young boy who is given space to appreciate his natural hair and it was a breath of fresh air to see that theme play out in a different gender than I am used to reading.
It was a cute and quick read that I hope falls into the hands of a young person that needs to see themselves and their experiences reflected in a book.
April 25, 2023
Language: R (54 swears, 6 “f” + Spanish swears); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
These eleven stories are intertwined, giving insight into a family who struggles to be who they are culturally and individually. The characters straddle the lines between countries, which sometimes extend to lines drawn between each other.
Gomera-Tavarez includes a lot of Spanish in the stories, which was cool but also difficult when I couldn’t keep looking up the translations. On top of that, several of the stories were also confusing—maybe I didn't understand the cultural implications enough, maybe I lost too much by skipping the Spanish, maybe the stories just didn’t speak to me. I connected with how difficult it can be to navigate family relationships and expectations, but I also felt like I wasn’t understanding what Gomera-Tavarez was trying to communicate.
Most of the characters mentioned are either Dominican or Dominican-American. The mature content rating is for underage drinking as well as for mentions of drugs, sex trafficking, and condoms. The violence rating is for mentions of guns and bombs.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
These eleven stories are intertwined, giving insight into a family who struggles to be who they are culturally and individually. The characters straddle the lines between countries, which sometimes extend to lines drawn between each other.
Gomera-Tavarez includes a lot of Spanish in the stories, which was cool but also difficult when I couldn’t keep looking up the translations. On top of that, several of the stories were also confusing—maybe I didn't understand the cultural implications enough, maybe I lost too much by skipping the Spanish, maybe the stories just didn’t speak to me. I connected with how difficult it can be to navigate family relationships and expectations, but I also felt like I wasn’t understanding what Gomera-Tavarez was trying to communicate.
Most of the characters mentioned are either Dominican or Dominican-American. The mature content rating is for underage drinking as well as for mentions of drugs, sex trafficking, and condoms. The violence rating is for mentions of guns and bombs.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
May 10, 2022
Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, RB Media, and Recorded Books in exchange for an honest review.
HIGH SPIRITS is a collection of short stories from debut author Camille Gomera-Tavarez that all connect together over years and people both in the United States and in the Dominican Republic. There's a little bit of magic, but mostly, this is a collection of stories that delve into mental health, what it means to be family, and toxic masculinity all wrapped in the cultural experiences of people who were impacted by the Dominican diaspora. It's a quick read, but I think it lends a voice to an important part of human history.
Coral Pena does a great job with the audiobook narration and Gomera-Tavarez's prose lends well to consuming this collection of stories as an audiobook.
HIGH SPIRITS is a collection of short stories from debut author Camille Gomera-Tavarez that all connect together over years and people both in the United States and in the Dominican Republic. There's a little bit of magic, but mostly, this is a collection of stories that delve into mental health, what it means to be family, and toxic masculinity all wrapped in the cultural experiences of people who were impacted by the Dominican diaspora. It's a quick read, but I think it lends a voice to an important part of human history.
Coral Pena does a great job with the audiobook narration and Gomera-Tavarez's prose lends well to consuming this collection of stories as an audiobook.
April 18, 2022
I went into this book thinking it was a short story collection that maybe had a central theme to keep it tied together. It does, and that is a family. I started to notice characters that had gotten their own chapter making cameos in other stories and that’s when I put two and two together.
This was a very slice of life book that tackles multiple topics, events, relationships and even magic. It’s not that long and I really recommend it if you’d like to read something quick with a bit of mystery and intrigue.
This was a very slice of life book that tackles multiple topics, events, relationships and even magic. It’s not that long and I really recommend it if you’d like to read something quick with a bit of mystery and intrigue.
May 20, 2022
This was nice but it didn’t really have an obvious overarching plot and it felt a little difficult to read sometimes. I was also a little confused about the family tree. Overall I was a little lost. But still good.
October 12, 2025
I discovered High Spirits: short stories on Dominican diaspora by Camille Gomera-Tavarez on the class’s Waklete website under the Latin America section. The book represents authentic stories of Latin American themes. Just like the last book I read, Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land by Mirelle Ortega, this book too represents Latin American culture and heritage. High Spirits is the debut book by Camille Gomera-Tavarez and is honored as Pura Belpre Honor for the year 2023.
High Spirits includes 11 short stories that are connected in many ways that follow a particular family, the Belen’s that was originally from the Dominican Republic. The stories take place over a span of time and focus on one particular character in each chapter. The setting of the stories are the Dominican Republic, New Jersey, and New York, but with all fictional towns. The themes that are explored in this book are family, friendship, social class, feminism, belonging, spirituality, and so much more. Ana, in the chapter Skipping Stones focuses on her sexuality and there is an underlying impression that that is the reason she is no longer closer to her parents. In Cut Day, students are contemplating when would be an appropriate time to cut class for their Senior prank with Daya Belen as the lead organizer. In the last chapter of the book, High Spirits, we find a man who is given the option to choose which of a man’s daughters he will marry. The short stories are quick reads that will make you laugh, ponder, and relate to.
I read and listened to the audio version of the story via Spotify. The audio voice was done by Coroal Pena which she had done a phenomenal job. I appreciated that they used a person who authentically read each word and spanish word the way it was intended to sound. Coroal Pena’s voice allowed me to dive into and be immersed in each short story. It made reading the story more enjoyable.
I recommend this book for grades 8-12. It does have strong verbal language that I think is more appropriate for the higher grade levels as well as mature themes. Teachers can use High Spirits across subject matters. In art and ela class, students can create a family tree. In social studies, students can explore geography. Students can use this text book as a mentor text to write their own short stories that connect characters. Teachers can use this book as an opportunity to teach the Spanish words, what they mean, and the emotions that are attached to them.
High Spirits includes 11 short stories that are connected in many ways that follow a particular family, the Belen’s that was originally from the Dominican Republic. The stories take place over a span of time and focus on one particular character in each chapter. The setting of the stories are the Dominican Republic, New Jersey, and New York, but with all fictional towns. The themes that are explored in this book are family, friendship, social class, feminism, belonging, spirituality, and so much more. Ana, in the chapter Skipping Stones focuses on her sexuality and there is an underlying impression that that is the reason she is no longer closer to her parents. In Cut Day, students are contemplating when would be an appropriate time to cut class for their Senior prank with Daya Belen as the lead organizer. In the last chapter of the book, High Spirits, we find a man who is given the option to choose which of a man’s daughters he will marry. The short stories are quick reads that will make you laugh, ponder, and relate to.
I read and listened to the audio version of the story via Spotify. The audio voice was done by Coroal Pena which she had done a phenomenal job. I appreciated that they used a person who authentically read each word and spanish word the way it was intended to sound. Coroal Pena’s voice allowed me to dive into and be immersed in each short story. It made reading the story more enjoyable.
I recommend this book for grades 8-12. It does have strong verbal language that I think is more appropriate for the higher grade levels as well as mature themes. Teachers can use High Spirits across subject matters. In art and ela class, students can create a family tree. In social studies, students can explore geography. Students can use this text book as a mentor text to write their own short stories that connect characters. Teachers can use this book as an opportunity to teach the Spanish words, what they mean, and the emotions that are attached to them.
February 10, 2024
“He usually wore his accent with pride, but at this moment, he regretted not paying more attention in ESL classes. The cop's tone made him feel like an unwanted weed being pulled from concrete.”
Camille Gomera-Tavarez’s debut features 11 interconnected stories from the Dominican diaspora that follow a family across place and time. I loved the hint of magic realism that was incorporated into this collection, as well as the different perspectives from different generations of family members (even cousins who have grown up in different countries). While the stories are short, I felt like the characters were well developed and I did find myself consulting with the family tree after reading each story to determine how they were connected to other characters.
Camille Gomera-Tavarez’s debut features 11 interconnected stories from the Dominican diaspora that follow a family across place and time. I loved the hint of magic realism that was incorporated into this collection, as well as the different perspectives from different generations of family members (even cousins who have grown up in different countries). While the stories are short, I felt like the characters were well developed and I did find myself consulting with the family tree after reading each story to determine how they were connected to other characters.
December 28, 2023
I feel very lucky to have snatched up a brand-new copy of this at a library book sale. What a beautiful and somewhat haunting collection of stories. By the end I felt like I knew this family on such a transparent level, complete with the skeletons hidden in their closets. The mental pictures formed from Camille's dream-like descriptions were even more vivid having visited the Dominican Republic myself earlier this year.
July 15, 2022
Very charming and sweet, it's making me wanna get into short stories more. Also they were really testing my rusty Spanish skills in this book, I won't pretend I got every word but I think I got the gist of it!
July 24, 2022
The writing was quite good and some stories were great, but overall the collection as a whole and the characters washed over me that I don’t think it will stick with me.
March 12, 2024
DNF @ 60%
Honestly this book was just not for me and that’s okay!
Honestly this book was just not for me and that’s okay!
June 28, 2024
Una historia fantástica que explora inmigración, las conexiones familiares, y la cultura entre los generaciones.
March 26, 2022
There’s an extensive family tree at the beginning of High Spirits - give it a glance, and then dive into this wonderfully told set of interlinked stories featuring several generations of an Afro-Dominican family. Moving freely in time, with touches of magical realism, each story strongly combines vivid settings and intriguing characters. EARC from Edelweiss.
May 26, 2022
Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for providing me an e-arc of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review
I loved this book!
High Spirits is a work of semi-autobiographical short fiction in which all eleven stories tie together by focusing on the same family, the Belens, and their family members both in America and in the Dominican Republic. This is Camille Gomera-Tavarez's first book and a real winner. I hope she continues to write because she has a great style. I really felt like I knew the Belen family by the end of the book and could cheer and cry for its members.
The topics of the stories vary greatly and include things like gender roles, religion, family dynamics, poverty, immigration, machismo, lgbt+ topics, and magical realism.
I listened to the audiobook of this work and thought the narrator was great and the format really added to the stories.
I loved this book!
High Spirits is a work of semi-autobiographical short fiction in which all eleven stories tie together by focusing on the same family, the Belens, and their family members both in America and in the Dominican Republic. This is Camille Gomera-Tavarez's first book and a real winner. I hope she continues to write because she has a great style. I really felt like I knew the Belen family by the end of the book and could cheer and cry for its members.
The topics of the stories vary greatly and include things like gender roles, religion, family dynamics, poverty, immigration, machismo, lgbt+ topics, and magical realism.
I listened to the audiobook of this work and thought the narrator was great and the format really added to the stories.
January 4, 2022
vignettes, storytelling, character forward
I received a digital ARC of this book on Edelweiss+. Thank you to Levine Querido and Chronicle Books.
High Spirits is a quick but impactful set of interconnected short stories. The language is evocative, drawing realistic and vivid characters and settings. If I had been reading a physical copy rather than the e-ARC I would have made liberal use of the family tree that was included. I couldn't always keep track of who was related to who or how they were connected to characters that I had already met, but I don't think that took too much away from my enjoyment of the stories. Many of the stories felt more like vignettes and I wished I got to spend just a little more time with the character. I could easily read a sweeping intergenerational novel about this family, but the short story format provides something different. It gives you the feeling of accumulating family lore over time. Hearing stories told, maybe eavesdropping on gossip, and everything's always just a little incomplete.
I received a digital ARC of this book on Edelweiss+. Thank you to Levine Querido and Chronicle Books.
High Spirits is a quick but impactful set of interconnected short stories. The language is evocative, drawing realistic and vivid characters and settings. If I had been reading a physical copy rather than the e-ARC I would have made liberal use of the family tree that was included. I couldn't always keep track of who was related to who or how they were connected to characters that I had already met, but I don't think that took too much away from my enjoyment of the stories. Many of the stories felt more like vignettes and I wished I got to spend just a little more time with the character. I could easily read a sweeping intergenerational novel about this family, but the short story format provides something different. It gives you the feeling of accumulating family lore over time. Hearing stories told, maybe eavesdropping on gossip, and everything's always just a little incomplete.
June 24, 2022
I had trouble connecting with the stories, they where very confusing to me.
The stories are interconnected but it would have been nice to know how, since with short stories it is hard to understand the relationships and how the family tree was going. I could only recognize the last name.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The stories are interconnected but it would have been nice to know how, since with short stories it is hard to understand the relationships and how the family tree was going. I could only recognize the last name.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
July 14, 2023
This novel is a series of interconnected stories focusing on the Belen family from the Dominican Republic. I really appreciated the family tree at the beginning of the novel, so I could keep track of the characters. The stories not only jumped around in time, but also in setting.
There is a hint of magic about these stories, so maybe the book could be classified also as magical realism. The stories were well written, but I just couldn't get into the book.
There is a hint of magic about these stories, so maybe the book could be classified also as magical realism. The stories were well written, but I just couldn't get into the book.
February 8, 2023
I’m reality this book is 2.5 stars. It tells the generational story of two families that Interweave. I think it reminded me a lot of 100 years of solitude and the writing style was confusing. It does show some very authentic portrayals of hispanics and their customs. I really enjoyed the authors afterword.
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