Short story: Review: "A Night at the Tropicana" by Chanel Cleeton

A Night at the Tropicana by Chanel Cleeton
Published October 2023 via Amazon Original Stories

One night in Havana...

In "A Night at the Tropicana", Cleeton takes us through two nights, thirty years apart: 1939 in Havana, when Natalie dances the night away, experiences her first real swell of romance, but returns to Florida knowing that she has to prioritize her desires; and 1969 in Miami, when she and her coworkers are trying to recapture a bit of that Cuban nightclub magic.

I haven't read any of Cleeton's full-length works, but I see that she's written a fair amount about Cuban and Cuban American characters, enough so that I skimmed through her backlist to see whether "A Night at the Tropicana" might serve as a sort of backstory or bonus material for one of her full-length works. (Doesn't seem to be the case, but you never know!) In any case, on its own it's a sweet and quiet story: turmoil in Cuba is in the background, but never at the forefront of Natalie's life; instead the focus is on love found, love lost, and what comes later.

There's limited action here, and the length feels right—any longer and it would drag. As it is, it feels a bit simple, but it's a sweet couple of moments in time.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.