Speak to Me of Home

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What does it mean to call a place home? From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jeanine Cummins comes a deeply felt multigenerational family story. On her wedding day in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1968, Rafaela Acuña y Daubón has mild misgivings but marries Peter Brennan Jr. in a blaze of romantic optimism, unaware of the dramatic changes ahead as she uproots her family to the American Midwest, leading to a series of disappointments. In the 1980s, Rafaela's daughter, Ruth, yearns to belong amidst her mother's isolation in St. Louis, letting go of her language and childhood memories of Puerto Rico. Decades later, Ruth's daughter, Daisy, returns to San Juan, prompting reflections on the choices that have shaped their lives. When a hurricane devastates the island in 2023, leaving Daisy critically injured, Rafaela and Ruth return to the city where their story began. As they gather at Daisy's bedside, they revisit the moments that defined them: coming of age, falling in love, and facing heartbreaks and triumphs. Old memories and buried secrets resurface, challenging the family's understanding of belonging. This striking examination of marriage, family, and identity ultimately questions how three women, connected by geography and genetics, can have such differing views of home and whether they can find a common language to navigate their paths back.