A novel is at the heart of THE LOST STORY OF EVA FUENTES --- the lost story being a book that Eva Fuentes wrote --- but this heartfelt tale is really about many things. In it, Chanel Cleeton introduces us to three main characters who live at different times, but all share a deep, abiding love of books.

Eva Fuentes is a teacher in Cuba. In 1900, she is set to embark on a trip to Cambridge to participate in a summer program offered to Cuban educators. She will be representing Cuba and is honored to go. She has spent years suffering through the war with Spain for Cuba's independence, and she is ready to do something for herself. That summer, though, Eva gets more than she bargained for.

"Margo's story is apolitical and can be enjoyed for its suspense and mystery. There are numerous suspects, a soupçon of romance, and a wonderful protagonist who has grown and overcome many self-doubts."

Pilar Castillo is working in Havana as a librarian in 1966 when a neighbor, who is fleeing Fidel Castro's Cuba, asks her to safeguard a book, A Time for Forgetting, and to try to get it back to its author, Eva Fuentes. Pilar agrees, but her life is filled with danger in this time of unrest in Cuba. Her husband was arrested months ago for subversive activity, and she doesn't know what has happened to him. Castro's men look for contraband, and Pilar hides books belonging to families fleeing Cuba that the government would confiscate.

While the stories of Eva and Pilar are interesting and touching, it's Margo Reynolds' storyline, set in 2024, that is even more gripping. Margo is hired by an anonymous person to find A Time for Forgetting, of which only one copy exists. She is not sure why she was asked to locate it, but she quickly realizes that someone else is looking for it. In fact, after a bookseller whose advice she sought about the book is murdered, Margo learns that her ex-husband, Luke, is also trying to find it.

Margo's storyline is akin to a thriller. While we feel empathy for Eva and Pilar, as the chapters alternate telling the stories of the three women, we can't wait to get back to Margo's life to find out what happens next. Who is the guy following her? What is on the flash drive that Mr. Thornton presses into her hand as he is dying? And, closer to home and not related to the search, why did she and Luke divorce?

The ending comes together beautifully. And by telling the story about Cuba in two different eras, Cleeton reminds us of how fleeting freedom can be. While Cuba obtained its freedom from Spain at great cost, all of those gains --- and more --- were lost when Castro made Cuba bow to his will: authoritarian leadership instead of freedom, jail cells and executions, people disappearing with no recourse, all opposing voices silenced. Reading about this is perhaps all the more frightening as we see what is happening in America.

Margo's story is apolitical and can be enjoyed for its suspense and mystery. There are numerous suspects, a soupçon of romance, and a wonderful protagonist who has grown and overcome many self-doubts. All three stories work beautifully, and it's obvious from Cleeton's writing how much books mean to her. One of the most powerful love stories in the novel involves the love of reading. Reading, especially fiction, can provide great truths and take us away on unforgettable adventures we might not otherwise have. That is exactly what THE LOST STORY OF EVA FUENTES gives us.