A romcom set in COPENHAGEN at Christmas
Novel set in PUERTO RICO and the AMERICAN MIDWEST
12th November 2025
Speak to Me Of Home by Jeanine Cummins, novel set in PUERTO RICO and the AMERICAN MIDWEST.
Exploring the ache of displacement and the meaning of home
Jeanine Cummins’ Speak to Me of Home is a poignant, multi-generational novel that delves into the emotional and cultural dislocations experienced by a Puerto Rican family over decades. Through the intertwined stories of Rafaela, her daughter Ruth, and granddaughter Daisy, Cummins crafts a narrative that is as much about familial bonds as it is about the enduring ache of displacement.
Although a bit of a slow start, by the time I reached a third of the way through the story, I was hooked. Very reminiscent of another of Cummins’ books, American Dirt, at the heart of this novel lies the theme of displacement—not just physical, but emotional, linguistic and cultural. Rafaela’s childhood was marked by privilege until her father’s dramatic downfall. Being forced to relocate to Trinidad in order to save the family, her path in life is determined by a chance meeting with a handsome American.
Rafaela’s move from the vibrant streets of San Juan to the unfamiliar terrain of St. Louis after her marriage marks the beginning of a generational journey marked by longing, adaptation and identity loss. Her struggle to maintain her cultural identity in a place that often marginalises her heritage is rendered with sensitivity and nuance. The microaggressions she faces, the mispronunciations of her name, and the subtle erasing of her culture all contribute to a quiet but persistent sense of alienation.
This is particularly brought to the fore when her (American) husband decides to join the local country club, only for Rafaela to be subjected to the indignity of having to use the staff locker room. It’s an humiliation she never quite recovers from.
Ruth, raised in the American Midwest, embodies the price of integration. In her quest to belong, she distances herself from her roots, letting go of her native language and cultural practices. Yet, this detachment leaves a void—a disconnection that becomes more apparent as she raises her own three children, particularly Daisy.
Daisy’s journey back to Puerto Rico becomes a powerful act of salvation. Her struggle to reconnect with a heritage she barely knows, including her difficulty with the Spanish language, underscores the complexities of identity for second- and third-generation immigrants. Through Daisy, Cummins explores how displacement can echo through generations, shaping lives in subtle but profound ways.
However, it also pays homage to the fact that heritage is the ultimate winner – as Rafaela demonstrates with a twist towards the end.
Cummins’ prose is evocative, painting vivid contrasts between the lush, chaotic beauty of Puerto Rico and the muted, often isolating and racist landscape of the American Midwest. The novel’s emotional resonance and exploration of what it means to belong remain its greatest strengths.
Ultimately, Speak to Me of Home is a moving meditation on the meaning of home, the resilience of women, and the enduring impact of displacement. It invites readers to consider how geography, memory and identity intertwine—and how, sometimes, the journey home is as much about the heart as it is about place.
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