An epic novel about the life of Henriette Faber. This woman, known only to a few specialists, was born in Lausanne in 1791 and, after being widowed and losing her son, she dressed as a man to study medicine at the University of Paris. She served as a military surgeon in Napoleon's Grande Armee, participating in campaigns in Russia and in Spain, where she was taken prisoner by Wellington's troops. After the war, she went to Cuba, where, under the name of Enrique Faber, she practiced medicine in the city of Baracoa, getting married there to another woman, Juana de Leon. When her identity was revealed, she was sentenced to serve four years in the Havana Women's Hospital. With her sentence served, she was exiled to New Orleans, on the condition that she never return to any Spanish dominion. Nothing more is known about her.
Starting with these known facts, the author has drawn a large, cinematic portrait of the age and the life of a strong woman determined to live decently and freely in a patriarchal world.

This is one of the most fascinating books that I have read. The author engages in an exploration of the short story as a genre, using a varied array of styles, techniques and structures. The theme is very Caribeean and together with the technique transports you into the Caribeean at different stages during its colonial formation process. The book explores the Spanish, the French and the English Isles and parts of their history. Fantastic reading.