Escape to the Straits

Escape to the Straits is a novel based on a true story about Daniel Milan's life in Cuba during the late 1990's. The story takes on several twists and begins after the sudden death of Daniel's father uproots Daniel and his mother to the town of Ranchuelo in central Cuba. He lands a position as a dock worker in a cigarette factory, and not only detests the drudgery of his job but despises the abuse by the supervisor and the cruel factory guards. Daniel supplements his meager wages by joining a gang of co-worker thieves to steal and sell cigarettes on the black market. During a well-planned attempted robbery, the factory guards are alerted, and Daniel is injured and trapped at the base of a twenty foot stack of tobacco boxes. During his recovery and at an impromptu party at his home, he encounters Juliana, his best friend Rafael's sister. This infatuation of several years, once discouraged by Rafael, begins to blossom. Daniel is overcome by profound love and Juliana becomes a beacon amidst the bleakness of life under Fidel Castro's regime. Despite battling with inner confusion about his own destiny, adjusting to chaos and change at the factory, and wrestling to survive in the economic turmoil of communist Cuba, Daniel orchestrates a romantic proposal to Juliana at a waterfall in the Sierra del Escambray Mountains, after which, the couple narrowly escapes death. The proposal culminates in a community celebration and the first wedding in Santa Rosa de Lima in seventeen years. Happiness turns to shock after the nuptials when Daniel spots the factory sergeant mingling with Special Forces in front of the church. Daniel's world spirals after he discovers that Maximo Lopez is smitten by Juliana and has secretly plotted against him. Daniel is stunned by Max's retaliation, and an act of arson that destroys the Lopez family's automotive business. The story becomes an entangled web of fear, deception, desperation, and tension compounded by Daniel's phobia of the sea. He is thrown in prison, fights for his life, and is forced to make a life altering decision. To avoid military pursuit and further imprisonment, he relocates to Havana where he hustles to survive and executes a clandestine departure from Cuba but his meticulously planned voyage is foiled by a factor beyond his control. Conflict abounds in this story as the main character struggles to survive and to flee an oppressed, communist society. Although Cuban by birth, Daniel is a universal figure who suffers and succeeds in solving trying situations. He faces each disappointment with determination, a sense of humor and ultimately never gives up.