Princess Papaya — Himilce Novas

Fiction. Latino/Latina Studies. Gay/Lesbian Studies. A corral of unique characters populate this rhapsodic, magically real tour de force: a hydrocephalic child with uncanny spiritual powers, a doctor whose greed precipitates a descent into his worst nightmares, a grieving poet struggling to regain her muse, and a man who fights to survive torture and the neglect of his family. Taking us from the 9-11 tragedy in New York City to the political dungeons in Cuba to the vineyards of Santa Barbara, Novas weaves santerAAa, gender, transgender, sexuality politics, and the resistance movement in contemporary Cuba.