Home and Belonging

The past few years have seen the remarkable rise of female Dominican American writers. Their works have captivated readers the world over. Among the pillars of this movement is Julia Alvarez who made her literary debut in 1991 with the publication of How the García Girls Lost Their Accents. The novel vividly chronicled the struggles of the Garcia sisters in integrating into their new environment after fleeing their troubled home country of the Dominican Republic. For her works, which included In the Time of the Butterflies, Alvarez received various recognitions such as the Pura Belpré Award and Américas Awards. She was also a recipient of the National Medal of Arts from President Obama. She is about to make a literary comeback later this year.

New voices that have joined Alvarez are Angie Cruz whose third novel Dominicana was shortlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction; Naima Coster whose debut novel, Halsey Street (2018), was a finalist for the 2018 Kirkus Prize for Fiction; and Elizabeth Acevedo who published her first adult fiction novel, Family Lore, in 2023. A recent addition to this growing list of Dominican American writers is Cleyvis Natera. Natera was born in the Dominican Republic but her family migrated to the United States when she was only ten years old. Her family settled in New York City where she was also raised. It comes as no surprise that the Big Apple would be the setting of her debut novel, Neruda on the Park, which was published in 2022.

Set primarily in (fictional) Nothar Park, a predominantly Dominican part of Upper Manhattan, Nerudadu on the Park charted the fortunes of the Guerrero family. Over two decades ago, Eusebia, along with their daughter, Luz, left the Dominican Republic to pursue that fabled American Dream. The patriarch, Vladimir, a police detective, has moved to the United States ahead of them. In Nothar Park, the family was able to reestablish a new life. Vladimir and Eusebia worked hard to provide for their child. It was their hard work that allowed Luz, now in her late twenties, to obtain a degree in an Ivy League school. Post-university, Luz found a job at a prestigious law firm. The family was living the proverbial American Dream.

“Vladimir developed a new habit, overnight, of reading aloud from that collection of poetry by Pablo Neruda. That last one her favorite, because it reminded her of when they were kids, how he loved to read, and would do it aloud because she couldn’t stand sitting still and staring at a page. And the way he did it, just like it wasn’t a big deal, but in his tenor a note of desparation. To have sacrificed as much as they both had to have it fall apart? No. Those poems were about love, and through listening to what Valadimir was saying in recitation, which was really what he couldn’t possibly have ever said with his own words, she’d been transported to earlier version of herself, an earlier version of them both.”

~ Cleyvis Natera, Neruda on the Park

Just when they thought everything was going right, things started going awry. The main catalyst was the ongoing gentrification of New York City. Old neighborhoods, from Brooklyn to Harlem, were being demolished to make way for luxury condos. Rising rents and unchecked development have “washed out, white out, everything forever changed” these neighborhoods. For years, Nothar Park remained a stronghold against gentrification. However, it was only a matter of time before the inevitable came knocking on the doors of the neighborhood. The knock came in the form of the lifeless body of seven-year-old José García who was found naked and “shot numerous times, the reporter said, left with a message carved into his back: Go Home.”

The crime shook the neighborhood to the core. But the neighborhood did not find itself alone as immigrants from other neighborhoods and boroughs formed a vigil to remind the denizens of Nothar Park that they were not alone in their grief. Meanwhile, Luz’s life went tail-spinning after she was abruptly laid off from her job without any apparent reason. For five years, she devoted seventy hours a week at the firm and the sudden news shocked her to the core. At a professional and personal crossroads, Luz commenced a later-in-life coming of age. She started to rebel against the life that her parents built for her. A beauty her mother constantly praised, Luz also attracted the attention of Hudson. White, rich, and privileged, Hudson’s presence in Luz’s life presented a complication that would eventually be unveiled as the story moved forward.

The crux of the story, however, was the relationship between Luz and her mother. Eusebia de Guerrero has always been a selfless mother who looked after her daughter despite the passage of time. She cooks her meals and even does her laundry. She was also concerned about the transformation of her neighborhood, especially after the tenement next door was razed to make way for a luxury condominium. Eusebia then hatched a plan to save her neighborhood from what she perceived as threats; Luz was ambivalent about these threats. After bumping her head in a fall, Eusebia started to organize a community campaign which her daughter and husband dismissed.

Eusebia’s plan, however, entailed transforming Nothar Park into a place that gentrifiers would fear. Along with other neighborhood ladies, they staged an array of arranged crimes meant to thwart the construction. However, their rash actions threatened not only the project but also the organizers and other members of the community. The once-nurturing Eusebia transformed into a radical crusader. As she advocates for Nothar Park, she has become a shadow of her old self. Meanwhile, Vladimir was simply counting the final months before his retirement. He loved his wife and daughter but he also had his own plans which his wife was unaware of. His daughter approved of his plan. As actions heat up at Nothar Park, a rupture is slowly developing between the members of the family.

“The first day of May. An entire week since she’d lost her job. She crossed the street and walked up the central pathway of Nothar Park, which was lined with citrus-colored tulips. The world had gone from a monotone gray-brown to full-on brown. The trees around her had sprouted new leaves, and everywhere there was a different shade of green. Budding flowers abounded – tiny blue ones close to the ground, cupped white ones extending from gently arched stems, pink ones the size of her fist.”

~ Cleyvis Natera, Neruda on the Park

As various forces converged for a compelling story, Neruda on the Park tackled a plethora of subjects. The novel underscored the impact of unchecked development. As New York City’s old neighborhoods are torn down to make way for luxurious developments – the developer of Nothar Park was keen on fulfilling his fantasy – who ultimately suffers are the common people, in particular, the immigrants and the people of color. The novel was not subtly in its representation of the gentrifiers – the whites – and those who had to make way for the gentrification – the immigrants and people of color like the Guerreros. The power dynamics palpably and unfairly careen toward one group of people. The less privileged are forced to pay the price.

It is in this time of disquiet that the community unites. We read how other neighborhoods rallied around Nothar Park. After all, the novel is a subtle ode to home and a vivid examination of the feeling of belongingness. The novel exposes the underbelly of gentrification, a fancy term used to describe the eviction of the urban poor to make way for the privileged. As Home is threatened, we read about the extent one will go to save what one calls home. It is worth noting that New York City houses the largest Dominican population outside of Hispaniola. In this multigenerational novel, reminders of “Home” are ubiquitous; the novel occasionally flashes back to the Guerreros’ life in the Dominican Republic. Vestiges of “home” such as music, dance, and food, riddled the story, further evoking a sense of home.

The evocation of home – and by extension, the values inculcated into her by her parents – however, presented an impasse to Luz. She was raised to uphold the expectations of society and of her parents. By submitting herself to these expectations, she was effectively muted. The life carefully designed for her came crashing down following her termination from the law firm she toiled hard for. She found herself without recourse because the previous path she was trudging down was established by society as the measurement for success. Pushed outside of her comfort zone, Luz questioned her identity. At this crossroad, she had to grapple with the question of pursuing a path already paved for her. Agency and finding one’s self were among the novel’s subjects. Choice also comes into play as Luz was caught in the crossfire of heritage and opportunity.

“But there ought to be another option. Another way to make room in her body for her mother, for herself. But what her mother offered wasn’t the way for her, either. In tranquility, she trusted her body was evolving, would lead her to a new course. And when tears filled her eyes, she let them fall, into the present and the past. And she promised herself she’d never hold the pain inside her body. That wasn’t for her. Or the women after her.”

~ Cleyvis Natera, Neruda on the Park

With all its examination of gentrification and unchecked urban development, the novel, was at its heart, a vivid exploration of the intricacies of families, in particular, the interiors and complexities of mother and daughter relationships. The novel was at its most affectionate when examining the relationship between Luz and Eusebia who soon figured in a classic battle over control and independence. The experiences of the main characters vividly highlight the decisions and choices that first and second-generation immigrant families had to deal with. All throughout, the novel is brimming with love which comes in different forms. We read about the love of one’s culture and roots. There is also the kind of love that binds an entire community together. Filial love, often complicated, was suffused in the story.

The novel was not without its flaws but Natera, with her lyrical brand of writing, was able to weave together a lush tapestry that captures a plethora of subjects. The complications of the immigrant experience were subtly woven into the story that masquerades as a rumination on the adverse impacts of gentrification and unchecked development. Through this, the novel tackled the definitions of home – whether in its physical or psychic state. We read about communities and the extent we go to protect these communities we refer to as home. Neruda on the Park, however, does not reduce itself to a social commentary. It is also an evocative and thought-provoking probe into mother-and-daughter relationships and the pursuit of one’s identity. Overall, Neruda on the Park is a compelling and promising debut novel.

Book Specs

Author: Cleyvis Natera
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publishing Date: 2022
No. of Pages: 319
Genre: Literary

Synopsis

The Guerreros have lived in Nothar Park, a predominantly Dominican part of New York City, for twenty years. When demolition begins on a neighboring tenement, Eusebia, an elder of the community, takes matters into her own hands by devising an increasingly dangerous series of schemes to stop construction of the luxury condos. Meanwhile, Eusebia’s daughter, Luz, a rising associate at a top Manhattan law firm who strives to live the bougie lifestyle her parents worked hard to give her, becomes distracted by a sweltering romance with the handsome white developer at the company her mother so vehemently opposes.

As Luz’s father, Vladimir, secretly designs their retirement home in the Dominican Republic, mother and daughter collide, ramping up tensions in Nothar ark as the novel races toward a near-fatal climax.

A beautifully layered portrait of family, friendship, and ambition that announces Cleyvis Natera as an electrifying new voice, Neruda on the Park weaves a rich and vivid tapestry of community as well as the sacrifices we make to protect what we love most.

About the Author

Cleyvis Natera was born in the Dominican Republic. When she was ten years old, her family immigrated to the United States and settled in New York City. She became a voracious reader when she was in middle school and spent most of her afternoons in their local library in Harlem. At Skidmore College, she completed her Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology with a concentration in Creative Writing degree. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from New York University.

Natera’s fiction, essays, and criticisms have appeared in various publications such as The New York Times Book Review, URSA Story, TIME, Alien Nation: 36 True Tales of Immigration, Gagosian Quarterly, The Brooklyn Rail, The Rumpus, The Washington Post, Memorious, The Kenyon Review, Aster(ix) and Kweli Journal, among other publications. In 2022, she published her first novel, Neruda on the Par. The novel was awarded a Silver Medal by the International Latino Book Awards for Best First Book of Fiction in 2023. Her second novel, The Grand Paloma Resort, is set to be published in 2025.

She has received support from Rowland Writers Retreat, Hermitage Artist Retreat, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Disquiet International Literary Program, Voices of our Nation Arts Foundation, and Juniper Summer Writing Institute. She was also awarded a 2024 Voices Rising Fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center. Natera teaches creative writing at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City and Antioch University’s Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts program in Los Angeles.

She lives with her husband and two young kids in Montclair, NJ.