THE TRIBE: a haunting & entertaining crónica of extraordinary Cuban life

Carlos Manuel Àlvarez begins the collection of vignettes in The Tribe with an observation that rings true from the first page to the last: Cubans “effortlessly make an epic of the everyday”. Although he showcases a full range of accidental characters, from international sports stars to bottom feeders who are truly at the nadir of society, all of Àlvarez’s subjects share a distinctly Cuban sense of determination. 

The tales of several individuals are often haunting. The male nurse left with plastic guts after being stabbed in a homophobic attack; a community of scavengers living off the rubbish dump. They are the lacuna in the popular imagination of the nation, and Àlvarez understands the importance of capturing the chronically forgotten. However, the focus never lingers long, and the book quickly hurtles on to another perspective. 

By weaving a thick and varied tapestry of Cuban life, the collection succeeds in reminding the reader that, in spite of all the island’s geopolitical importance, it is also a home. Àlvarez’s own thoughts are scattered throughout, and they contextualise anecdotes and situations with the dispassionate insight of a well-conditioned local. He is able to look beyond the shocking surface and directs the reader’s gaze to what we should be noticing. Àlvarez has smuggled an important ethnographic work inside the form of an entertaining and well-written crónica.