{"product_id":"the-taste-of-sugar-9781631499043","title":"The Taste of Sugar","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarisel Vera emerges as a major new voice in contemporary fiction with this \"capacious\" (\u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e) novel set in Puerto Rico on the eve of the Spanish-American War. Up in the mountainous region of Utuado, Vicente Vega and Valentina Sanchez labor to keep their coffee farm from the creditors. When the great San Ciriaco hurricane of 1899 brings devastating upheaval, the young couple is lured along with thousands of other puertorriquenos to the sugar plantations of Hawaii, where they are confronted by the hollowness of America's promises of prosperity. Depicting the roots of Puerto Rican alienation and exodus, which resonates especially today, \u003cem\u003eThe Taste of Sugar\u003c\/em\u003e is \"a gorgeous feat of storytelling\" (Tayari Jones).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVera, Marisel:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - A Chicago-born writer based in Pittsburgh, PA, \u003cstrong\u003eMarisel Vera\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of \u003cem\u003eThe Taste of Sugar\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eIf I Bring You Roses\u003c\/em\u003e. Through her work, Vera explores the particular burdens that Puerto Ricans carry as colonial subjects of the most powerful country in the world.","brand":"Liveright Publishing Corporation","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50553719685394,"sku":"9781631499043","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_fc4a6b17-6a25-4730-9b6f-169a9180c60e.jpg?v=1731702677","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-taste-of-sugar-9781631499043","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}