AFFINITY for TROUBLE, A Puerto Rican Story

Affinity for Trouble, A Puerto Rican Story is an exciting romp through the poverty-ridden neighborhoods of Santurce, Puerto Rico. The precocious street-wise voice of Hector, a boy urchin, introduces the reader to a spiritual struggle as he fends for survival. His complicated family includes the very best and worst characters imaginable. You will meet his violent and loving father, papi Guelo; his introverted and egotistical mother, mami Letty; his macho and amoral gang-chief Uncle Freddy; and his despotic criolla grandmother, mami Provi. This story accurately captures the essence of an era through the boy’s eyes as he overcomes formidable odds in the 1940s and 1950s. From the ghetto to suburbia he resists all evil with the help of his magically dark and gifted stepsister, Paula, whose deep religious faith encompasses Christianity and the seven African Powers. Paula and Héctor will keep you engrossed through culinary and musical descriptions, and will mesmerize you with their magical rituals, cultures, and beliefs.

Héctor Varela’s insightful and poignant novel describes the influence of the U.S. at the grassroots level in the gradual and subliminal takeover of the Puerto Rican people’s hearts and minds. Skillfully presented through the eyes of a child and his black step-sister, this book is a deeply-moving page turner that manages to detail the human drama from (both) cultural perspectives, allowing the reader to more than glimpse what is nowadays called psy-ops, or better known as winning hearts and minds. The 400-year-old culture of the Puerto Ricans is easily seduced and with very little resistance from the opposing factions within Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico’s culture and its tri-racial heritage are cleverly explored, as is its cuisine and the lifeblood of its beloved music. AFFINITY for TROUBLE is about cultural relationships, the immediate violence for turf that the drug trade engendered, and a surprising number of what we currently believe to be contemporary issues but are merely historical repeats.

This novel is not just beautifully written, but is indeed a necessary primer for all who wish to truly understand the nuances of diversity and the realities involved in cultural identification and yearnings. It clearly depicts the base shotgun engagement of the U.S. to Puerto Rico. The greatest power commits to the utterly powerless in a less than sincere fashion.

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