The Veins of the Ocean

A Novel

By: Patricia Engel

Narrated by: Patricia Engel

Reina Castillo is an alluring young woman whose beloved brother is serving a death sentence for a crime that shocked the community: throwing a baby off a bridge - a crime for which Reina secretly blames herself. With her brother's death, though devastated and in mourning, Reina is finally released from her prison vigil. Seeking anonymity, she moves to a sleepy town in the Florida Keys, where she meets Nesto Cadena, a recently exiled Cuban awaiting with hope the arrival of the children he left behind in Havana.

Through Nesto's love of the sea and capacity for faith, Reina comes to understand her own connections to the life-giving and destructive forces of the ocean that surrounds her as well as its role in her family's troubled history, and in their companionship she begins to find freedom from the burden of guilt she carries for her brother's crime.

Set in the vibrant coastal and Caribbean communities of Miami; the Florida Keys; Havana, Cuba; and Cartagena, Colombia, with The Veins of the Ocean, Patricia Engel delivers a profound and riveting Pan-American story of fractured lives finding solace and redemption in the beauty and power of the natural world - and in one another.

©2016 Patricia Engel (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A dark comedy with unexpected heart." ( Kirkus)

A book of remarkable insights

In the first dozen pages it is obvious why Ms Engel has been awarded so many literary recognitions. Her characters overflow with experiences and personality that expands the readers awareness of aspects of life I’ve been fortunate never to have experienced. But definitely better served by being aware of and thought about. Exceptional book, exceptionally written

So so story -but monotonous

The monotonous voice of the narrator was incredibly hard to listen to. I pushed through the story because of the so-so plot; but the narrator stood in the way of the plot- progression.