The Taste of Sugar
United States Puerto Rico

The Taste of Sugar

by Marisel Vera

Colonialism Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Family Saga 2020

Summary

In late nineteenth-century Puerto Rico, seventeen-year-old Valentina Sánchez dreams of romance and a life beyond the expectations of her family. She marries Vicente Vega, a coffee farmer from the mountainous region of Utuado, hoping their love will bring happiness. But married life proves far more difficult than she imagined. Poverty, family tensions, and the struggle to keep their farm afloat threaten their future, while political upheaval transforms the island around them.

Following the Spanish-American War and the devastating San Ciriaco hurricane of 1899, Puerto Rico comes under American rule, and the Vegas lose their livelihood. Promised prosperity, Vicente and Valentina join thousands of Puerto Ricans who migrate to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations. Instead of the fresh start they hoped for, they encounter harsh working conditions, exploitation, and broken promises. Spanning generations and continents, The Taste of Sugar traces one family’s struggle to survive amid colonial domination and economic injustice. Marisel Vera brings a neglected chapter of Puerto Rican history to life, exploring how love, family, and resilience endure when the promise of a better future comes at an extraordinary cost.

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Countries
United States
North America
Puerto Rico
South America
About the author
Marisel Vera
Marisel Vera

Marisel Vera is a Puerto Rican-American novelist who grew up in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighbourhood, a historic centre of the city’s Puerto Rican community. Her writing explores colonialism, migration, cultural identity, and the experiences of Puerto Ricans living both on the island and in the diaspora. Through her fiction, she brings overlooked chapters of Puerto Rican history to life, connecting political upheaval with the intimate struggles of ordinary families. Her first novel, If I Bring You Roses (2011), follows a Puerto Rican couple navigating marriage and migration to Chicago. Her second novel, The Taste of Sugar (2020), examines the aftermath of the US invasion of Puerto Rico and the migration of Puerto Rican families to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations. Vera’s fiction combines historical research with deeply personal stories of love, endurance, and displacement. Two of her short stories won the Willow Review literary magazine’s fiction prize in 2000 and 2003.

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Details
Published
2020
Author
Marisel Vera