The Night Travelers by Armando Lucas Correa - Book Review

The Night Travelers by Armando Lucas Correa

Publication Date: 10th Jan 2023

Genre: Historical Fiction, Multi-timeline 

3.5 Stars 

One Liner: Dark, heavy, and overwhelming in content but lacks the emotional impact 

*****

The Night Travelers is the story of four generations of women whose lives change during the Nazi rule, the Cuban Revolution, and the fall of the Berlin wall. The story starts with Ally Keller giving birth to Lilith, a mixed-race daughter, in Berlin, in 1931. 

Life in Havana seems happy for Lilith in 1958 until the Cuban Revolution puts her and her daughter Nadine at risk. It’s 1988 in Berlin, and Nadine is a dedicated scientist trying to ignore her family history. Luna, Nadine’s daughter, decides it’s time she knew the truth of the past. But what does it do to her life? 

The story comes in the third-person POV of the main characters. 

My Thoughts: 

The book spans the years covering WWII, the Cuban Revolution, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is rooted in historical events and feels heavy throughout. It’s not an easy book to read (in many ways). 

The beginning is wow. It starts strong with Ally giving birth to Lilith in Berlin when only Aryans were considered a pure race. But as the story progressed, the emotions don't register. It’s like watching a movie on the neighbor’s telly. I can’t connect with any of the characters. The writing is kind of monotone, with very little emphasis to make me feel for any of the ladies. I’m not sure if the emotions were lost in translation, but all four of them sound the same, albeit in slightly different ways. 

The story moves back and forth and is divided into three acts. The shifting timelines aren’t hard to track. A better way to read the book is to let it flow instead of trying to keep tabs on the period. 

One aspect I love about the book is the theme of intergenerational trauma and its impact on people. The hatred for all Germans after the Nazi brutality, the mistrust of Cubans, and ordinary people trying to pick up the broken pieces of their lives, suffering from trauma that wasn’t even theirs, to begin with. 

While I admire the research behind the book, I couldn’t understand much of the Cuban track. The writing assumes readers are knowledgeable of the topic to fill the gaps. Though I know enough of WWII and Berlin history, my knowledge of Cuba’s past isn’t that great. 

The heavy and sad undertones are so consistent that it’s hard to read more than a few pages without feeling overwhelmed or lost. Even the lighthearted moments are tinged with melancholy and awareness that some devastating is around the corner. 

This is a book I want to love, but I can only say I like it in parts. The ending is vague (not my favorite kind), leaving me dissatisfied about the plot but relieved that I could finally complete it. 

To summarize, The Night Travelers is an overwhelming historical fiction that spans four generations of women and their lives in the backdrop of wars. This book is not for everyone (contains triggers). 

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for the eARC. 

#NightTravelers #NetGalley