The Eternal Forest

A Memoir of the Cuban Diaspora

De: Elena Sheppard

Narrado por: Frankie Corzo

In the tradition of The Yellow House and Half Broke Horses, a memoir of the Cuban diaspora that follows one family’s exile from the island, through a lyrical exploration of memory, cultural mythology, and the history of Cuban-American relations.

History is undeniably dominated by its men, but the stories Elena Sheppard was brought up on were almost always about Cuba’s women—everyday women, whose names would be forgotten and buried along with their bones unless someone took the effort to remember them.

Cifuentes, Cuba, in the 1950s was nearly idyllic—at least that’s how Elena’s grandparents, Rosita and Gustavo Delgado, remember the Eden they left. When Fidel Castro seized power in 1959, Gustavo was placed on a list of political undesirables, and by the end of 1960, the couple and their two daughters had fled to Florida, with nothing more than five dollars, and a suitcase each. The Delgados were certain they would return to Cifuentes within a few months, after Castro’s reign had run its course. But they never went back, and a piece of each of their identities became frozen in that moment.

In 1987, Elena was the first in Gustavo and Rosita’s family to be born in the United States, but through the memories that lived on in her grandmother’s mind, Cuba became the foundation of her childhood. Elena takes us inside these stories, and as we travel back and forth across the narrow Florida Straits that separate Miami and Havana, we also weave between past and present, to discover family secrets that are on the brink of being lost to time.

In lyrical yet unflinching prose, The Eternal Forest follows one family’s exile from their homeland and in so doing, it tells the larger political story of the Cuban Revolution and its diaspora. Through a spellbinding blend of cultural myth, historical texts, and personal narrative, The Eternal Forest seeks to understand the nature of inheritance, how trauma and memory are passed down through generations, and what it means to yearn for an island you can never fully know.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press

©2025 Elena Sheppard (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"With vivid details and evocative descriptions, Sheppard skillfully interweaves her family’s story with the histories of Cuba, Miami, and the Cuban diaspora . . . A spellbinding family history."—Booklist, starred review

"This poetic memoir weaves together Cuban history and family history into a tapestry that is both rich and threadbare. Sheppard explores it all—the dark histories, the hidden heartbreaks, the boats lost at sea—with generous curiosity and love. She has made her Cuban ancestors proud with this detailed, unflinching link in the diasporic chain."—Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of All Adults Here

"Entering The Eternal Forest is like diving into a magic ocean dominated by women named after flowers. Elena Sheppard masterfully covers the history of Cuba from the beginning of the 20th century through a family, divided by exile, loss and reunion. A tribute to abuelas. A read that will stay with you forever."—Armando Lucas Correa, bestselling author of The German Girl