Tell it to me singing A novel

The title of Ramirez's first novel is the English translation of a Cuban phrase used when answering the telephone, dimelo cantando, a phrase that Cuban American Mónica uses with her ex-boyfriend Manny. She has promised to marry Robert--she's pregnant with his child--but she still has feelings for Manny. Meanwhile, while Mónica's mother, Mirta, is heavily sedated in a Miami hospital and about to have heart surgery, she reveals that Mónica's real father is Juan, not the man who raised her. Like Mónica and Mirta's favorite telenovela (soap opera), Abismo de pasión, Ramírez's tale of family and love and political fallout truly brings the drama! Mónica narrates in the year of the Obama versus Romney election, alternating with Mirta, who recounts the chaotic times following the Cuban Revolution and her arrival in Miami via the massive 1980 Mariel boatlift. Mónica's quest to uncover the truth about her family includes tangling with FBI agents and a hairbrained trip to Costa Rica. Ramirez has created a charming novel in which the Spanish flows naturally, and family affection flows warmly.

Is a woman's shocking confession true, or just a fantasy from her favorite telenovela? Mónica Campo is about to become a mom for the first time when, suddenly, it looks as if she might lose her own beloved, flamboyant mother, Mirta. The night before Mirta is scheduled for surgery for an aneurysm, mother and daughter watch a telenovela episode about a woman who bears her lover's baby and never tells him. The next day Mirta, already sedated and afraid she might not wake up, says, "Mónica, your father is Juan." But Monica's father, or so she's always thought, is Rolando Campo, an optician and solid family man, and she's never heard of Juan. Mirta survives the surgery but her mental state is unsteady, and Mónica can't be sure whether her confession is true or a sign her mom is losing her grip on reality. And Mónica has her own set of problems. She broke up with her longtime boyfriend, Manny, because he kept signing up for another hitch in the Army instead of making a home with her. Then she stumbled into a relationship with Robert, who's steady and sweet and delighted she's having his baby--but she's not in love with him. Now, with Mirta's illness, Manny is back. Mónica has never quite felt she knows where she belongs anyway, growing up in Miami as the daughter of Marielitos, the Cuban refugees who came to the U.S. en masse in the 1980s. Her parents have embraced their new home but feel the emotional pull of the one they left behind. As Mónica delves into the buried secrets her mother's revelation brings to light, she learns much more than she ever imagined about her parents' history and herself. This debut novel addresses serious family matters but bursts with humor as well, thanks to Mónica's tart voice and her funny, fractious family. A story of Miami's Cuban American community uses tropes of telenovelas to frame a rich portrait. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.