Cover Image: The Black Cathedral

The Black Cathedral

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Member Reviews

Using multiple narrators, Marcial Gala, bring us in a world in Cuba one could only imaging. This is my first work of translation read this year and let me tell you Gala did not disappoint. Through this book I got a lesson in the Cuban history and culture. This book is a must read.
Thank you FSG Publishing, for gifting me this DARC via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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I ended the year reading a book that was a definite curveball. I picked this up on netgalley after reading The Lady Rogue and becoming interested in the Black Cathedral located in France. Guess what, this is NOT about that cathedral but about a cathedral being built in Cuba. Yes, that’s right, Pillars of the Earth, Cuban style. This year I want to read more books of and from my Latino people so this seemed appropriate. Most books I’ve picked up that have are set in Cuba have either been of Old Cuba, pre- Castro period, or of Cubans who have come over to the States and left it behind. This is not the case here, which made it very interesting as we explore the dynamics of a Cuba most will never see .

The voice of this book is what kept me going, this is done in the style of Daisy Jones and the Six (I hated that book) however, in this book the people are actually interesting. I couldn't get enough of these people even though the timelines and interview style could sometimes get confusing. You receive a little picture of the present and then jump to the future and the interview style keeps you guessing as to whose perspective is right. Is there a right perspective? I really enjoyed getting to know these people even though most of them do horrible things. It was one shock after another and it explores different parameters of moral fortitude in an impossible situation.

The Black Cathedral is about a cathedral being being built in the city of Cienfuegos indicated by the narrative that is a city where mostly black Cuban people reside. The racism felt by the people is a big theme in the story and it exposes the seedy underbelly of the Cuba. The Cuban writer took great pains to illustrate how unfairly they are treated while still delivering this in good comedic timing, it seems unlikely but there is dark humor here. Some of the things that were said were hilarious but overall the injustices are so big that I felt bad laughing, I just couldn’t help it. I did not expect to find unwilling cannibalists, murder and mayhem, and social injustices in this book.

It is an exploration of a people that are often overlooked. It was a book that shocked me and the writing is riveting. If you want to go outside your comfort zone, do it! It’s dark and makes you think, this book will stay with me while it was funny, it also struck close to home.

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A slim, super-fast paced novel with lots of violence and sexual assault. If that appeals to you: congratulations, check this book out! If that doesn’t sound so great: yeah, I agree.

I’m torn about the large cast of POV characters. Some characters appear just once, but the focus is on two or three characters. I thought this story would be more about the cathedral, but it’s really about the lives of those few main characters. Almost all of the characters had a really similar voice, but each new POV section was so short it’s easy to dismiss. Though I wish the cast had been scaled back, I got a real kick out of the way the characters kept spoiling other character’s endings. It was intriguing and kept me interested—sometimes I like to know how the story ends from the beginning, and this is an example of that technique working well.

In the end, it’s just simply not my type of story; too much violence and too many misogynistic characters for me. I know some readers will enjoy this—it sort of gave me Marlon James’ A Brief History of Seven Killings vibes, so I could see myself recommending this title to fans of James.

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Gala uses multiple narrators, who sometimes contribute just a small snippet, to tell the tale of a Cuba coming apart at the seams after years of semi isolation. The construction of the cathedral sets off a boiling pot that sometimes veers into magical realism. It's hard to pick out one voice or theme- think of it as a novel of babel (in a good way). It helps to have some knowledge of Cuban history and culture. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A great opportunity to read an important writer in translation.

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Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy! I loved this quick read by Marcial Gala. The characters are so well written and even though there is a large cast, and we are only seeing a small snippet of time, they are clear and developed. There is a mix of lovable characters you deeply feel for and others that you can't even begin to understand. The style the novel is written in is really interesting and makes you want to compulsively turn the page. I never knew how much I enjoyed the oral history format until this year when I read Daisy Jones and the Six and now this. Two completely different books but an incredible style for telling a story with many unknowns and different perspectives.

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Twisted and comic in turn, The Black Cathedral follows a chorus of voices in Cuba - from gangsters to prostitutes - whose intertwined stories come together and blend into one another and hurtle towards a dark conclusion.

I found the novel to be fast paced and with great potential but the story left me cold and the narrative failed to grab me. Perhaps a (/any) knowledge of Cuba's people and history would have enhanced my enjoyment.

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Wow! This novel, published in Cuba in 2012 blew me away. Told in a sort of interview style (short blurbs throughout by many different characters) kept the pace and the story was disturbing, magical, macabre, and tender. A unique style, plot and voice.

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