The Beard

By Mary Ann Koenig

Cuban Revolutionary El?rio Cuello is thrust into a world of political intrigue and wanton surrogate sex. Unsophisticated and alone in the world, his fellow soldier Juan Arellano Crespo is his only friend. This satirical, fictionalized memoire chronicles El?rio's saga, from comedy to despair. The Leader of the Cuban Revolution, a fabled Latin lover, becomes impotent after a demoralizing meeting with Richard Nixon. The Leader and his brother, Raul, force young El?rio to become his stand-in. The problem is, El?rio can't grow a beard. A fake chin hair-piece consequently becomes his nocturnal disguise. El?rio loathes the work, and the beard, but everything changes when he encounters Natalya, the beautiful and worldly Soviet spy sent to recruit the Leader to a Russian partnership. El?rio and Natalya fall in love. They're a kindred pair: she sleeps with heads of state at the orders of her government, and he sleeps with anyone the Leader tells him to. When El?rio becomes aware that his beloved Revolution has turned into a dictatorship of intimidation, mass murder and fear, he knows he must find a way out. Can the lovers escape? Or will geo-political events, and the sins of Arellano Crespo, overwhelm them both?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1530651751
• ISBN13: 9781530651757
• Release Date: November 2016
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 398 Pages
• Weight: 1.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.9" x 6.0"