Incident at San Miguel
Three small groups of revolutionaries overcome guards who have been holding Prof. Edgardo Alarcón under house arrest in San Miguel del Padron so he can flee the country. In one group is Moises Cohan and his lover Ana Teresa Colon, a leader of Students for an Equitable Society. Moises’s brother Aarón, planning a wedding to his betrothed Esther, is a lawyer with the National Bank of Cuba who reviews applications and distributes funds to businesses and industries. It is the beginning of the communist overthrow when Fidel Castro and Che Guevara force Fulgencio Batista from power in 1958.
Incident at San Miguel reflects the recollections of Miriam Bradman Abrahams, whose grandparents emigrated to Cuba in the 1930s and parents left the country when the political climate changed in the 1950s. Sidransky is the author of several historical novels, including the Forgiving series set in New York and the Dominican Republic over a period of decades.
While the incident at San Miguel itself is fictional, characters, such as Aarón and Moises, and events are based on people and experiences Abrahams knew. Incident therefore carries a sense of authenticity. However, the narrative tends to recite and explain. As a result, readers can learn about what is happening and get an inside look at some of the realities of the Cuban revolution that lie under the surface. However, they are given little chance to feel what it is like to walk among the insurgents or live day to day amidst the fear and uncertainty of revolution.
