Irish Independant, Saturday 10 July 2010Review: One Kiss in Havana
Michelle Jackson
Michelle Jackson is back on the shelves with the latest in a successful series of novels based on a winning format -- a life-changing foreign holiday and the dramatic aftermath back in Dublin.
Previous locations were Biarritz and New York. This time its Cuba's turn to come under her spell, in a tale featuring three sisters, Emma, Louise and Sophie.
Six months after husband Paul's sudden and puzzling death, Emma gets a surprise in the post -- tickets for a trip to Cuba, from her late husband. But this is no PS I Love You. She takes her youngest sister Sophie along, unaware that Sophie had been sleeping with Paul and that the trip was intended for himself and Sophie.
At the idyllic beach paradise of Varadero, Emma meets the gentle and gorgeous Felipe who takes her to the music-filled haunts of Havana, while Sophie meets Greg, a Canadian art dealer. But they could be merely holiday romances.
Back in Dublin, Louise's marriage is floundering and when she meets an old flame, her world is turned upside-down. By the time Sophie and Emma return home, their entire family is in turmoil. Decisions need to be taken and it takes a huge crisis to change the family dynamics.
A former art teacher, Jackson's wonderfully evocative descriptions set her books aside from the rest, transporting readers down dusty streets in Havana and into Hemingway's house, making it a perfect holiday read.
She is currently writing her fourth novel, set in Las Vegas and her non-fiction collaboration with Dr Juilet Bressan, What Women Know, is due out in August.
Irish Independant
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