Book Review: The Grand Paloma Resort
The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera reads like a breezy fast-paced thriller, but it has all the depth of a literary novel. The Grand Paloma Resort is a luxurious beachside resort in the Dominican Republic that will cater to the ultra-rich guests’ every need—yes, every single need. The novel opens when Elena, a full-time babysitter at the resort, is experimenting with E while babysitting, and the young girl in her care is injured. The parents of the young girl seem like they spend most of the time during their trip partying heavily (the ramifications of which play a large part in the plot later). A local healer is called in to help the young girl. Elena’s older sister Laura is willing to live in a morally gray area in order to save her reputation and Elena’s. This story was told from multiple perspectives and moved quickly, without sacrificing character development or social critique.
Laura and Elena are the two main characters. Laura has earned a prestigious role at the resort, and she is hoping for a promotion and move to another country, for a fresh start and educational opportunities for her younger sister. Elena’s character has a lot of potential, but she has been distracted by partying. When Elena is put in a desperate situation, she will make a devastating decision that drives the rest of the book. Meanwhile, as Laura hopes for a fresh start (she’s been caring for her younger sister for years, since losing their parents), the recent events at the resort might ruin everything. On top of everything, a hurricane strikes the island.
My Thoughts
The Grand Paloma Resort is the welcome antidote to The White Lotus series and similar TV shows and books. To be honest, I am tired of the “rich people behaving badly” trope that is prevalent in many books, films, and TV shows. With billionaires running the world and corruption in the government dominating the news daily, I can’t read more about ultra-privileged people ruining their lives and betraying each other and call it entertainment. While this novel has rich people behavior badly, readers are experiencing the story from the perspective of many people working at the Grand Paloma Resort, who grew up on the island.
Overall, this book falls into one of my favorite subgenres, the destination thriller. If a book has a compelling premise, and the book is set on an island or isolated location, I will be very interested. With The Grand Paloma Resort, I came for the plot and left with more to think about. While I have read several books set in the Dominican Republic before, especially the works of Julia Alvarez, they were mostly historical fiction. From reading The Grand Paloma Resort, I learned new things about the modern-day Dominican Republic. This novel also highlighted issues related to the deportation of Haitian immigrants from the country and the major lack of access to education and social class mobility, as well as the environmental and social impact of tourism on the Caribbean. I highly recommend this book to thriller-lovers and readers of general adult fiction.
TW: child trafficking and abuse
