Explore the complicated relationship Blanco has with Abuela. For what does she seem to apologize as she lies dying in her hospital bed? How do her actions influence Blanco as he grows up, and how do they impact the man he grows into?

What roles do Deycita, Anita, Victor, and Ariel play in Blanco’s eventual acceptance of his sexuality?

How do Blanco’s family members demonstrate ambivalence toward being in America? What do they miss about Cuba, and what does America have to offer them that Cuba does not?