‘The Distant Marvels’: Acevedo is a true storyteller in every sense

When I was in graduate school in Syracuse, our best nights seemed to always involve a guy named Phil LaMarche. He wasn't a partyer or a wild guy. But he could sure tell a story.

In this fast-paced, technologically advanced age, Phil would get everyone to quiet down, lean in, laugh and gasp at all the right moments.

He had a gift, and so does author Chantel Acevedo. In her latest novel, 'The Distant Marvels,” Acevedo takes a great story to another level with her remarkable storytelling.

The year is 1963, and Hurricane Flora is beating down on Cuba. Maria Sirena finds herself waiting out the storm with seven other women on the top floor of Casa Velazquez, the former governor's mansion and oldest home on the island.

To pass the time, Maria begins to tell the women stories of her life - of her tumultuous birth at sea in 1881, of her parents' and grandparents' struggles for independence, of her tragic teenage love affair.

As the storm rages on and Maria's health becomes frail, her storytelling takes on new urgency: she must tell her story, the whole story, before she dies, so she might be remembered - and forgiven.

And while Maria's story is remarkable, what's more is the way Acevedo tells it: Moving back and forth in time between the present-day situation in Casa Velazquez and Maria's family history, Acevedo smoothly structures a novel that, while multigenerational in scope, sacrifices nothing in terms of depth.

Structurally, this novel is incredible. But Acevedo is a master on a line level as well, knocking us to the ground with her beautiful sentences.

A true storyteller in every sense, Acevedo will capture your attention - and your heart.