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Tomorrow They Will Kiss
Written with buoyant humor and a sharp sense of human desire, this is the story of love pursued at any cost, of how friendship and history unite people for better or worse, and of the hope for that redemptive kiss capable of reconciling estranged lovers and countries.
305 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2006
13 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Eduardo Santiago
12 books23 followersEduardo Santiago was born in Cuba and grew up in Los Angeles and Miami. He holds a BFA from the California Institute of the Arts and an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University.
He is a two-time PEN Emerging Voices Fellow (2004 and 2010). His first novel Tomorrow They Will Kiss (Little Brown and Co.), took Best Historical Novel and Best First Book honors at the International Latino Book Awards and was a finalist for the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction. His second novel, Midnight Rumba , was published in 2012. His shorter works of fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Advocate, zyzzzyva, Out Traveler, One For The Table, The Platte Valley Review and many other prominent publications.
Mr. Santiago teaches creative writing for UCLA Extension and is the founder and curator of the Idyllwild Authors Series.
He is a two-time PEN Emerging Voices Fellow (2004 and 2010). His first novel Tomorrow They Will Kiss (Little Brown and Co.), took Best Historical Novel and Best First Book honors at the International Latino Book Awards and was a finalist for the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction. His second novel, Midnight Rumba , was published in 2012. His shorter works of fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Advocate, zyzzzyva, Out Traveler, One For The Table, The Platte Valley Review and many other prominent publications.
Mr. Santiago teaches creative writing for UCLA Extension and is the founder and curator of the Idyllwild Authors Series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
December 23, 2009
Like the heroines of the telenovelas they love, the characters in this book (three women from the same gossipy village in Cuba, now working in a New Jersey doll factory) are painted with somewhat broad strokes, but they're each more complex than the others think. And, also like novelas, their stories are pretty addictive. Santiago has created a great, classic diva in Graciela, a bad girl with a heart of gold. And when her bitchy "friends" relentlessly try to take her down for such transgressions as daring to take fashion design classes, Santiago shows how suffocating small-town life can be, so much so that it can follow you across an ocean. But of course Graciela's not one to be taken down easily, and for that you can't help but root for her.
July 18, 2012
This book read like a latin version of The Help, well sort of. Imperio, Graciela and Claridad are the women whose stories we learn. Their lives are complex in their home country of Casto's Cuba and that much more in the monotony of their new life in Union City, New Jersey. Familiar themes are present: the drunk husband, the single mother, the vixen, livin poor and workin poor ( doll factory ). These stories are like many stories I've heard from my mother and the life of an immigrant. Stories of strong women are never boring.
July 23, 2016
EDUARDO SANTIAGO, in my opinion, eventually will win the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished fiction by an American author, and he may be the next writer of Cuban descent to do so.
TOMORROW THEY WILL KISS is right up there with other Pulitzer
winners. Santiago is young, and he has talent and dedication. And so it is, I believe, only a matter of time.
Graciela, Caridad and Imperio -- Cuban women in exile -- work in a doll factory in New Jersey. Santiago segues back to Cuba throughout the novel, so we can see the life they left during the Cuban Revolution and understand what they're up against in the U.S. Graciela deals with her frustrations just like American women do -- by losing herself in TV soap operas.
What older American has never escaped into radio soaps, including the one that asked the question, "Can this girl from the little mining town in the West find happiness as the
wife of a wealthy and titled Englishman?" (Our Gal Sunday in the 1940s.) What younger American has never lost herself in The Guiding Light, All My Children or Dallas?
Like these beloved sagas, Santiago's TOMORROW THEY WILL KISS will capture your interest, challenge your beliefs and break your heart.
Graciela's coping skills -- in Cuba -- were superb. When she decided to marry the scholarly and recently widowed Ernesto de la Cruz, she wasted no time:
"It's sort of like a shotgun wedding," Imperio said, "except in this case it's the bride who is holding the shotgun."
Then we learn that:
Ernesto didn't make a lot of money, and Graciela wanted things. But things were scarce and the black market was expensive. So she set herself up as a manicurist and was very successful at it, because she rendered the best Cuban half-moons in town. The Cuban half-moon was a pearly-colored crescent painted with precision exactly where the nail met the cuticle. Graciela was masterful at it, an artist. When she did our nails it looked as if all our fingers were smiling.
But few were smiling inside Castro's Cuba. Imperio tells us:
There were those who were desperate to leave the country,
those who hated the people who were leaving the country, and
the rest of us, who were caught in the middle.
People like me were frozen with fear and indecision. We were
not the sort of people who dreamed of a life in other parts
of the country, let alone the world. We were born in Palmagria and, in spite of its problems and defects, we expected to die there, be buried there, and spend the reset of eternity there. That's the way it had always been. Occasionally someone ventured out, driven by some strange desire that no one could understand. But for the most part, we stayed.
It was easier for the wealthy to get out, they had always kept one foot in Cuba and another abroad. It was not unusual for them to have a big house in Cuba and another in Miami Beach. They sent their children to universities in Spain or the United States. They were used to entertaining foreigners who came to visit in yachts and private airplanes.
For the very poor, there was no decision to be made at all.
Very few had the education or even the mentality to consider
going to another country and learning another language. They
could barely get along where they were born. Besides, the new administration was all about them. There were slogans on walls now offering them a brighter future. There were organizations dedicated to their care. Politicos of humble backgrounds, who had risen to prominence only after the Revolution, made fervent speeches, telling the poor that it was time to rise up out of their pitiful lives and take their rightful place in society. Every day these new saints of the people served themselves up as examples of the new success.
You couldn't leave the house without running into some sort
of demonstration. Banners and flags appeared everywhere.
Uniformed men and women became so common that after a
while we hardly took notice of them. They walked around
rigidly, their faces set hard with responsibility. They always saluted us as we walked by. They demanded respect. They were not friendly people, these rebel soldiers. They didn't smile, they didn't dance; it was as if, suddenly, they had stopped being Cubans. As if something hard and harsh had invaded their souls.
TOMORROW THEY WILL KISS is a great read, and I can almost guarantee you will love it. You will love it because in this novel you will find not only yourself, but also your parents,
your cousins, and the friends you grew up with. One of the things I admire about this writer is his ability to make people from an entirely different culture (from mine) seem
just like people I have always known.
And ladies, you are in for a treat, because this is a novel by that rarity in the male-dominated world of great literature: a male writer who truly understands women and
appreciates us in spite of the faults -- if any -- we may have.
Buy this book and read it soon. You will laugh, cry and delight in your discovery of EDUARDO SANTIAGO, a man who is becoming one of the great writers of our time.
--Arlene Sanders
TOMORROW THEY WILL KISS is right up there with other Pulitzer
winners. Santiago is young, and he has talent and dedication. And so it is, I believe, only a matter of time.
Graciela, Caridad and Imperio -- Cuban women in exile -- work in a doll factory in New Jersey. Santiago segues back to Cuba throughout the novel, so we can see the life they left during the Cuban Revolution and understand what they're up against in the U.S. Graciela deals with her frustrations just like American women do -- by losing herself in TV soap operas.
What older American has never escaped into radio soaps, including the one that asked the question, "Can this girl from the little mining town in the West find happiness as the
wife of a wealthy and titled Englishman?" (Our Gal Sunday in the 1940s.) What younger American has never lost herself in The Guiding Light, All My Children or Dallas?
Like these beloved sagas, Santiago's TOMORROW THEY WILL KISS will capture your interest, challenge your beliefs and break your heart.
Graciela's coping skills -- in Cuba -- were superb. When she decided to marry the scholarly and recently widowed Ernesto de la Cruz, she wasted no time:
"It's sort of like a shotgun wedding," Imperio said, "except in this case it's the bride who is holding the shotgun."
Then we learn that:
Ernesto didn't make a lot of money, and Graciela wanted things. But things were scarce and the black market was expensive. So she set herself up as a manicurist and was very successful at it, because she rendered the best Cuban half-moons in town. The Cuban half-moon was a pearly-colored crescent painted with precision exactly where the nail met the cuticle. Graciela was masterful at it, an artist. When she did our nails it looked as if all our fingers were smiling.
But few were smiling inside Castro's Cuba. Imperio tells us:
There were those who were desperate to leave the country,
those who hated the people who were leaving the country, and
the rest of us, who were caught in the middle.
People like me were frozen with fear and indecision. We were
not the sort of people who dreamed of a life in other parts
of the country, let alone the world. We were born in Palmagria and, in spite of its problems and defects, we expected to die there, be buried there, and spend the reset of eternity there. That's the way it had always been. Occasionally someone ventured out, driven by some strange desire that no one could understand. But for the most part, we stayed.
It was easier for the wealthy to get out, they had always kept one foot in Cuba and another abroad. It was not unusual for them to have a big house in Cuba and another in Miami Beach. They sent their children to universities in Spain or the United States. They were used to entertaining foreigners who came to visit in yachts and private airplanes.
For the very poor, there was no decision to be made at all.
Very few had the education or even the mentality to consider
going to another country and learning another language. They
could barely get along where they were born. Besides, the new administration was all about them. There were slogans on walls now offering them a brighter future. There were organizations dedicated to their care. Politicos of humble backgrounds, who had risen to prominence only after the Revolution, made fervent speeches, telling the poor that it was time to rise up out of their pitiful lives and take their rightful place in society. Every day these new saints of the people served themselves up as examples of the new success.
You couldn't leave the house without running into some sort
of demonstration. Banners and flags appeared everywhere.
Uniformed men and women became so common that after a
while we hardly took notice of them. They walked around
rigidly, their faces set hard with responsibility. They always saluted us as we walked by. They demanded respect. They were not friendly people, these rebel soldiers. They didn't smile, they didn't dance; it was as if, suddenly, they had stopped being Cubans. As if something hard and harsh had invaded their souls.
TOMORROW THEY WILL KISS is a great read, and I can almost guarantee you will love it. You will love it because in this novel you will find not only yourself, but also your parents,
your cousins, and the friends you grew up with. One of the things I admire about this writer is his ability to make people from an entirely different culture (from mine) seem
just like people I have always known.
And ladies, you are in for a treat, because this is a novel by that rarity in the male-dominated world of great literature: a male writer who truly understands women and
appreciates us in spite of the faults -- if any -- we may have.
Buy this book and read it soon. You will laugh, cry and delight in your discovery of EDUARDO SANTIAGO, a man who is becoming one of the great writers of our time.
--Arlene Sanders
April 9, 2011
Eduardo Santiago includes a quote in the front matter of his novel, one I find so moving I gasp just thinking about it. In fact, as I open the book to read the quote I find traces of my own lipstick on the page. I swear I didn't kiss it.
The Cubans can be characterized individually by sympathy and
intelligence, as group by yelling and passion. Every one of them carries
The spark of genius, and geniuses do not mingle well. Consequently,
reuniting Cubans is easy-uniting them impossible.
-Luis Aguilar Leon
Tomorrow They Will Kiss, through three very real female characters, substantiates even defines Mr. Leon's powerful observation.
The lives of the three women are set in 1960's New Jersey, where the immigrant women work in a toy factory. Their personalities both compliment and clash with one another. Their voices and choices are often both vicious and hilarious as they struggle to adapt and create new lives. The differences seem to fade into a self definition through their shared infatuation with the lives of television soap opera characters.
Eduardo expertly intertwines a fascinating look into Cuban history. He provides the reader with a rare interesting look into pre-Castro and post-Castro Cuba. I have long harbored a fascination with Cuban history and the dynamics surrounding it. Eduardo's depiction is by far the most enjoyable. His approach is honest, and raw, beautifully written by a fabulous author whom conveys a refreshing humbleness.
We will soon welcome another novel by Eduardo Santiago. Over the next few days, watch this blog for a sneak peak into the dynamics of his new novel, The Weight Of My Shadow.
Related Links
Sammy's Interview With Eduardo Santiago
http://sammywrites.blogspot.com/2011/...
Tomorrow They Will Kiss is available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Tomorrow-They-W...
Visit Eduardo Santiago's Author Site:
The Cubans can be characterized individually by sympathy and
intelligence, as group by yelling and passion. Every one of them carries
The spark of genius, and geniuses do not mingle well. Consequently,
reuniting Cubans is easy-uniting them impossible.
-Luis Aguilar Leon
Tomorrow They Will Kiss, through three very real female characters, substantiates even defines Mr. Leon's powerful observation.
The lives of the three women are set in 1960's New Jersey, where the immigrant women work in a toy factory. Their personalities both compliment and clash with one another. Their voices and choices are often both vicious and hilarious as they struggle to adapt and create new lives. The differences seem to fade into a self definition through their shared infatuation with the lives of television soap opera characters.
Eduardo expertly intertwines a fascinating look into Cuban history. He provides the reader with a rare interesting look into pre-Castro and post-Castro Cuba. I have long harbored a fascination with Cuban history and the dynamics surrounding it. Eduardo's depiction is by far the most enjoyable. His approach is honest, and raw, beautifully written by a fabulous author whom conveys a refreshing humbleness.
We will soon welcome another novel by Eduardo Santiago. Over the next few days, watch this blog for a sneak peak into the dynamics of his new novel, The Weight Of My Shadow.
Related Links
Sammy's Interview With Eduardo Santiago
http://sammywrites.blogspot.com/2011/...
Tomorrow They Will Kiss is available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Tomorrow-They-W...
Visit Eduardo Santiago's Author Site:
June 13, 2012
Eduardo Santiago brought a different perspective on life in Cuba (prerevolutionary as well as during the regime's power). He artfully told the story by giving each of the three main characters a voice in their own chapters. Graciela, Imperiod, and Caridad were strong Cuban women each with their cross to bear. They provided insight into the lifestyles of Cuban women and how that contrasted with the lifes of American women at that time. The author took the characters from one revolution (Cuba) into another (Vietnam protests, etc.) as they sought refuge in the U.S. Santiago grew up in Cuba during the Castro regime and revealed details about the regime's control over its people. Excellent read!
June 1, 2018
Niiiiiñas, these are some shady queens! Not that I'm surprised, mind you. My people are nothing if not backbiting and faux friendly. But, it's also hilarious!
The beginning of the book was kind of eh for me, but as it went on it picked up speed and it ended up being a compelling, engaging read. I stayed up pretty late rushing through the final hundred pages. Santiago does a great job of capturing the voices of the three women who take turns helming the narrative. I loved the way he uses the three perspectives to create a more or less objective view of what's actually happening.
If you liked this, make sure to follow me on Goodreads for more reviews!
The beginning of the book was kind of eh for me, but as it went on it picked up speed and it ended up being a compelling, engaging read. I stayed up pretty late rushing through the final hundred pages. Santiago does a great job of capturing the voices of the three women who take turns helming the narrative. I loved the way he uses the three perspectives to create a more or less objective view of what's actually happening.
If you liked this, make sure to follow me on Goodreads for more reviews!
April 15, 2009
This was a wonderfully well written peek into the minds of three Cuban immigrant women making a new life in 1960s America. Graciela, Imperio, and Caridad all come from the same small town in Cuba and work at the same doll factory in New Jersey, where they assemble dolls they can't afford to buy and discuss the latest telenovelas on the way to and from work. Eduardo Santiago really did a great job giving each woman an individual voice of her own in the story and the result is a funny, heartwarming modern day Cinderella story, but I'm not telling who's Cindy and who are the stepsisters... it's pretty obvious by the third chapter anyway!
January 12, 2013
1/2013 This story explores the lives of Cuban immigrants to the U.S. after Fidel Castro came to power. The author creatively exposes the emotions, thoughts, and actions of these immigrants through the eyes of three women, all from the same small town in Cuba. The experiences vary significantly for these women and their other Cuban friends, especially between holding on to the past versus moving forward in a new life. The characters are well developed and came to life in the story.
February 12, 2012
The story narrated from three vantage points, ladies who fled Cuba when Castro came to power. They settled in New Jersey and found work together in a toy factory. The multiple narration effectively showed the way the immigration experience affected those who came here, what they lost and how they managed.
July 24, 2007
Very easy and fast read. Five women's perspective on life in Cuba pre and post revolution. Eduardo Santiago also possesses the same talent as Tolstoy in capturing women's awareness.
July 31, 2007
I liked this book because it gives a Cuban perpective on what occured during the revolution and it shows why Cubans will always love their homeland
January 23, 2008
Pleasantly surprised.
I loved that the book had three different narrators.
I was surprised at how little I actually put the book down. Most books that I pick up on a whim I never finish.
I loved that the book had three different narrators.
I was surprised at how little I actually put the book down. Most books that I pick up on a whim I never finish.
July 18, 2008
I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this one. I was impressed with the way the author unfolded the story and used 3 different viewpoints.
August 21, 2009
A cute read were I actually saw people around me in life. Las chismosas,
las comadres, la puta, la loca, la pobrecita, las hermanas. Taken away from their home land. Loved it.
las comadres, la puta, la loca, la pobrecita, las hermanas. Taken away from their home land. Loved it.
September 30, 2022
Cubanas en el exilió
Excellent novel! The author really does an excellent job describing what happened in Cuba and what drove so many of us here. Union City, NJ, my hometown in the USA is a really special place and I'm glad he based the novel there. Reading this story, I feel like I need to visit again. I think we all knew women like Graciela, Caridad and the others. Thanks for the memory trip and for writing this story!
Excellent novel! The author really does an excellent job describing what happened in Cuba and what drove so many of us here. Union City, NJ, my hometown in the USA is a really special place and I'm glad he based the novel there. Reading this story, I feel like I need to visit again. I think we all knew women like Graciela, Caridad and the others. Thanks for the memory trip and for writing this story!
April 16, 2012
People may think this book is solely for women, because the main characters are all women of Cuban descent. But I loved Eduardo Santiago's deft, sure hand in the way he draws impeccable characterizations of the life of women in exile, doing menial work. Nevertheless they have big dreams and big personalities to match.
July 15, 2011
I loved the interactions between the women. As someone who understands the effect of being far from home, the book was very realistic in portraying the relationships because they were not perfect and always positive but they were solid and supportive. Graciela is unforgettable.
August 12, 2008
8/10/2004
May 28, 2009
This was a fun read. I liked how they told the stories from each gals perspective.
May 8, 2013
A sweet and funny and touching story of how we make new lives and come to terms with old ones.
September 11, 2023
In controcopertina si parla di un nuovo scrittore di eccezionale talento e poi "il più grande romanzo sulle delusioni di una rivoluzione". Decisamente esagerato. Si il contesto è la Cuba post rivoluzione, un paesino lontano da L'Avana, della rivoluzione se ne parla molto poco, è sullo sfondo, in primo piano ci sono delle donne, con le loro invidie e gelosie, tra cristianesimo e santeria. Le donne scappano in USA, e si incontrano a Union City (New Jersey) e lì continuano a vivere nel ricordo del loro Paese, a sparlare della loro compagna meno "rispettabile" oppure a parlare della telenovela del momento, in attesa che i protagonisti finalmente si bacino. A farla da padrona è la cultura patriarcale di queste donne, per tutto il libro parlano di Graciela, la fedifraga, che ha umiliato il marito, disonorato la famiglia, ma che va avanti, impara l'inglese, studia, conosce un uomo americano e si sposa perfino, le altre restano ferme a guardare al passato. Insomma: la rivoluzione c'entra davvero poco e anche il romanzo non è un granchè (lieto fine incluso)
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May 22, 2022Tomorrow They Will Kiss by Eduardo Santiago is a delightful and insightful book. It was published in 2006, however, I recently discovered it and read it April 2022. I loved the book. It is never too late to read this tender, caring, loving, passionate, and heartbreaking story that still resonates (as many people find themselves having to flee their homeland).
Here, the author successfully depicts the struggles of Cuban working-class immigrants with humor, sadness, and raw honesty. Using voices that bring the narrative to life, three Cuban women recount their stories of hope, desire, and loss as they are forced to abandon their relatively comfortable lives in Cuba and struggle to start over from scratch in 1960s America. Unique to this book is how the author seamlessly weaves the tensions of post-revolution Cuba with the equally charged racial and political conflicts simultaneously taking place in America.
Here, the author successfully depicts the struggles of Cuban working-class immigrants with humor, sadness, and raw honesty. Using voices that bring the narrative to life, three Cuban women recount their stories of hope, desire, and loss as they are forced to abandon their relatively comfortable lives in Cuba and struggle to start over from scratch in 1960s America. Unique to this book is how the author seamlessly weaves the tensions of post-revolution Cuba with the equally charged racial and political conflicts simultaneously taking place in America.
July 2, 2017
This was recommended to me by a friend's mother after a long conversation about telenovelas. I enjoyed this book a lot, even if I sometimes wanted to slap some of the characters ^.^ The book is about a group of Cuban expat women who fled Castro in the 1960s and end up working at a doll factory in New Jersey. Graciela is a flawed but likeable protagonist whose every act of kindness, every attempt to better herself, is relentlessly judged by a pair of petty gossips through the lens of terrible mistakes she made in her past. The juggling of the three POV characters was expertly handled. The book is light on linear plot, instead focusing on character development and relationships, gradually revealing the context in which the characters act. Definitely worth the read!
September 21, 2017
The characters are great in this, and I love the rich tapestry of the story. The interpersonal relationships are meticulously arranged, but it really felt like there was no resolution there. Quick revenge maybe, but the reveal seemed obvious and there was no growth or change when one really seemed to be hinted. I guess it just wasn't the ending the book felt to be leading up to. It felt ended early, before the important part.
July 13, 2020
Tomorrow They Will Kiss is a page turner. A story told in multiple points of view, each chapter builds on the next. The characters work in a toy factory and come from the same Cuban hamlet. Each woman’s story packs a lot of heart. I’ve read this novel a few times—always during the summer—and it always leaves me with a good feeling.
July 29, 2022
I just grabbed this book off the library shelf because the title and description were appealing. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it was an enjoyable read (I would probably give it 3 1/2 stars if I could). I like books with more than one narrator (which is good because it is a HUGE trend right now) and this slice of ex-pat Cuban life in the 1960s is an unusally fun history lesson.
April 6, 2023
Picked this up in the Puerto Morelos bookstore, I was looking for a Latin American story to match my surroundings. It was a quick read and enjoyable once I got into the flow of the 3 women telling the story from their points of view. Ironic and funny at times! Would be a great read for traveling to or learning more about Cuba. An easy vacation read and I'm also glad I read it.
May 4, 2017
Not within my usual reading genre but I thoroughly enjoyed this book
February 25, 2019
A bit of sentimentality at the end to create the happy ending.
May 8, 2022
I liked how it was told by the three different women's perspective but the ending fell flat :( not a reread for me so to the thrift store it goes!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews