Derek Palacio's 'The Mortifications' is a deeply evocative tale set against the backdrop of the 1980 Mariel Boatlift, exploring the fissures and ties of the Encarnaci\u00f3n family, torn between Cuba's sun-kissed tomato farms and the frigid embrace of Hartford, Connecticut. Uxbal, a staunch revolutionary, is left behind as his wife Soledad and children Isabel and Ulises start anew in a foreign land, grappling with the ghosts of their past and the uncertain allure of their cultural identity. As they each embark on personal journeys of self-discovery and coping with longing, a twist of fate beckons them back to the island nation, where Uxbal awaits, breathing life into their dormant hopes and unresolved conflicts.