Book Bites: Tell It to Me Singing

Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramírez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tell it to me Singing takes a telenovela premise—intergenerational Cuban-American paternity drama—and, with heart and a knowing wink, spins it into something wonderful. Going into a dangerous heart surgery, Monica’s mother confesses that Monica’s dad isn’t her real father. Herself pregnant and unsure of her own relationship status, the confession sends Monica into the throes of doubt and self-discovery. The plot boldly swings between 2012 Miami to Castro’s rise in Cuba, including race car drivers and counter-revolutionaries. Chapters alternate between Monica and her mother’s voice, with the recurring motif of telenovelas running throughout. This all works wonderfully because Ramírez knows exactly where the line between drama and melodrama sits and playfully dances around it. Interpersonal conflicts feel raw and real and the moments of joy never feel cloying or saccharine. There’s even a bit of action peppered in. Tell it to me Singing takes strands of domestic melodrama, the Cuban Revolution, telenovelas and weaves them into something greater than it’s component parts.

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