Antonio's Glove: ( Young Adult Thriller -- 1980s Cuba)

YOUNG ADULT OCCULT THRILLER Cuba 1980 Fifteen year old Tomás Santos’ world is collapsing. He’s ordered to abandon his best friend. The girl he loves is the daughter of his family’s worse enemy. Tomas is threatened with conscription into the army on his next birthday, just a few months away. His father wants the family to escape from Cuba and hints at a plan involving ‘empty coffins’. Can things get any worse? Tomas is waiting for his older brother, Antonio, to return from the army and calm everyone down. Until that moment, his only comfort comes from a baseball glove Antonio gave him which seems to act as a mysterious link between them. Any time Tomás sleeps with the glove nearby, he has a recurring nightmare about his brother. Is Antonio trying to tell him something? Javier Rodriguez, the neighborhood spy, continues to pressure them. Tomas is plunged into the paranormal world of Santeria, trying to decode the strange dreams. The family learns Antonio died fighting the war in Angola from Rodriguez, who has his own dark reasons for wanting to confiscate the glove. Tomas’ father is jailed, but insists Tomas must escape Cuba with the family. Tomas agrees, with no idea how to fulfill that promise. He has no time to grieve: he’s the only man left to keep his mother and sister safe in an increasingly hostile Havana. Antonio reappears, claiming Tomás’ help to succeed in a secret mission. It’s a dangerous game with every move creating more risk for his friends and family. Suddenly, with ten thousand people claiming asylum from the Peruvian Embassy in Havana, Castro does the unthinkable and opens Mariel Bay with an announcement that Miami Cubans can come to collect their relatives. Tomás has a final opportunity to escape, but has made conflicting promises to his father and brother. Will Antonio let him go?

About the Author

Tonii Marie Kelly is also an emigrant of sorts, spending time between Miami, Florida and Gort, County Galway, Ireland. Juggling life between two very different worlds has given her added perspective on the nuances of adapting to new customs, never mind a new language. She is working on her next novel, a sequel to Antonio's Glove.

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