The Moonlit Vine follows Taina Perez, a young girl who begins a journey of self-discovery when her abuela tells her that she is a direct descendant of Anacaona, a beloved Taino leader. Spurred by a history class project, trouble at school, and unrest in her local community, Taina is lead down a path to find her strength and the magic of her ancestors.
I was given the opportunity to read The Moonlit Vine from debut author Elizabeth Santiago and as someone who is Puerto Rican, I was drawn to this book because of its focus on Puerto rican history and ancestry. This young adult novel touches on many themes like family, culture and feminine power. It was a heart warming story that made my inner child feel seen.
On behalf of Latinx in Publishing, I had the lovely opportunity to ask Elizabeth Santiago some questions about her story. I hope that her answers move you as much as they moved me, and that you find yourself reaching for this incredible book.
“This young adult novel touches on many themes, like family, culture and feminine power. It was a heart warming story that made my inner child feel seen.”
Tereza Lopez (TL): Where did you get the inspiration to write this book? Could you talk a bit about your writing process for your debut novel?
Elizabeth Santiago (ES): I wrote The Moonlit Vine when I was in a doctoral program at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. I wrote it because after a number of years of researching educational outcomes of Latinx students, I ran up against symptoms and not root causes. Why were some of us struggling in school? For me, it was not a question I could answer without going back to colonialization. I wanted to write about how the past still affects us in present day, yet the doctoral research and dissertation process didn’t give me the freedom I needed to present a more sweeping narrative. The creative part of my soul urged me to write The Moonlit Vine and that story allowed me to present a more complete picture of the challenges some of us have faced in present-day educational systems. Writing this novel awakened a deep desire to tell stories and diminished my desire to be an academic researcher to be honest. While I completed the doctoral program and am proud of what I accomplished, I will always look to storytelling as a way to present a complete picture of reality.
(TL): Mourning, grief, and community are large themes throughout this book for many different characters. Could you touch on what it was like writing those themes? What does community mean for you and how it relates to your book, especially for Juana?
(ES): With The Moonlit Vine, I wanted to represent generational trauma, colonialism, fighting for survival, and how all of those things mix to create a person, a family, a community, and a culture. For me, my story begins with the native people of Haiti, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico because that’s when certain seeds got planted that have grown into the messy weeds we have today. That’s what The Moonlit Vine is about. The artifacts depicted in the book are symbols of the knowledge they had that got handed down generation after generation. Instead of perpetuating this narrative that the Taíno did not survive, I wanted to present that we are, in fact, still here. Our ancestors knew what they were up against and ensured their survival through the tools they had in their possession.
Much of our culture, traditions and history get passed down from our elders, in particular our abuelas. I have always had a strong connection to the women in my family – the ones I know and the ones that have passed on. It’s hard to explain, but I feel their presence. I feel women, in particular, walking with me through life. I have always felt that and writing The Moonlit Vine gave me the opportunity to express the appreciation, love and awe I have for our ancestors.
I’m so glad you asked about Juana because she was one of my favorite characters to write! She is a compilation of all my Puerto Rican aunties who always showed up ready to act and help. Juana loves her family and her community, and she is much beloved in Puerto Rico where she lives. I have written a complete backstory for Juana and one day I’m going to write a story from her perspective. There’s a bit of Juana in all of us Boricuas!
(TL): Who do you think the ideal reader for this book is? What can readers expect to gain from reading The Moonlit Vine?
(ES): As I wrote this book, parts of me began to heal. I had a better handle on the historical forces and situations that made me, me. I can’t say whether others will walk away feeling the same, but I sincerely hope readers will take away the message of love – love of our ancestors and hope for the future. That communities are better together, and that young people can change the world for the better. I wrote the book as a love letter to Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, but I think anyone who is interested in the universal themes of the book will enjoy it.
(TL): I have family from Puerto Rico but was raised in the States, so I did not have access to a lot of Puerto Rican culture growing up. Reading this book was a very magical experience for me and I feel like I learned a lot about Puerto Rico and its ancestral culture. Could you talk about research you did on the generations of strong female ancestors that are mentioned throughout this book?
(ES): Thank you for sharing your experience! A lot of our history hasn’t been documented, so I listened to my mother’s stories and tales from my family who lived on the island. A common thing people say is that Puerto Ricans are made up of Taíno, African, and Spanish ancestry. Growing up I knew a lot about the Spanish and a little less about my African ancestors, but very little to nothing about my Taíno ancestors. And I looked for many years! What is documented comes from early journal writings, letters, and stories shared by Spanish (and other) colonizers—stories that have created the dominant narrative that the Taíno did not survive.
That false narrative has been debunked through the prevalence of DNA testing. (Well, our elders already knew the narrative was false, but science finally caught up). With renewed excitement, I continued to research and learn. I read all I could on the Taíno, and I continued to listen to stories from family members. When I was writing the historical vignettes, I let my imagination fill in the blanks. I was determined to present the Taíno as strategic—a people who understood that genocide was happening and fought in ways that ensured their survival even if not necessarily on their own terms. I thought about all of the wonderful women in my life and how the past is connected to the present. I searched for books that described all these connections, but I couldn’t find a work of fiction or nonfiction that shared what I hoped to understand or express.
At a 1981 speech to the Ohio Arts Council, the late amazing literary genius Toni Morrison said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” I took those words seriously, which is what set me on the journey to write The Moonlit Vine. A book to name how vital the Taíno were to not only my survival, but also the survival of my family and many, many others. How much their joy, intelligence, and love continue to shape me and others to the present day. This novel is my way of sharing my deep gratitude and respect for them.
Elizabeth Santiago grew up in Boston, MA with parents who migrated from San Sebastián, Puerto Rico in the 1960s. The youngest of nine, Elizabeth was entranced by the stories her mother, father, aunts and uncles, and community elders told her. Later, she sought to capture and honor those narratives and share them with the world. She earned a BFA in creative writing from Emerson College, a master’s in education from Harvard University, and a PhD in education studies from Lesley University. She still lives in Boston with her husband Kevin and son Ezekiel, but travels to Puerto Rico as often as she can to feel even closer to her ancestors, culture, and heritage. Find her @liznarratives
Tereza Lopez (she/her) is a recent graduate from Clark University with a double major in English and history. She attended Clark University again in Fall 2021 and obtained a Master’s in communication. When she is not studying, you can find her obsessively reading or taking care of her new kitten.
