ISLAND CREATURES

Separated during childhood, two Cuban teen animal rescuers reunite unexpectedly.

Memories of adventures saving animals “in el monte, our green forest / with its aroma of cocoa” in the Guamuhaya Mountains of central Cuba haunt Vida and Adán, who were close before life forced them apart. A decade later, unbeknownst to either, both teens now live in South Florida. With her parents dead and her photojournalist abuela often absent, Vida lives in an empty home. Climate migrant Adán survives in a packed home brimming with violent tension between his father and abuelo. When Adán rescues a gray tree fox, his good deed leads to a chance reunion with Vida. The years apart, however, have brought change. Wary of men following a boarding school incident, Vida nurtures her burgeoning feminist consciousness; béisbol player Adán, who’s learning to be an ally, realizes that masculinity can be “a promise of kindness / that makes us strong / not weak.” Gradually, they rekindle their love while reinforcing their passion for helping endangered animals. But a rift between their families threatens to disrupt them anew. Moving fluidly between Vida’s pensive perspective and Adán’s anguished narration, Engle’s verse narrative boasts rich language steeped in nature’s spiritual beauty and the reciprocal connection between humans and animals. A sweet slow-burner with tight, evocative poems, this tale of adolescent love glows. Drifting into a carefree flight by the last page, Vida and Adán’s story ends as delicately as it began.

Fanciful, hopeful, and heartfelt.