African Passions (Critical Overview)

Critical Overview

Although Rivera has received critical praise for her writing, her introspection, and her development of strong characters, there is little mention expressly applied to her individual short story “African Passions.” This story has not yet received a lot of attention outside of the Latino/a and Afro-Cuban reading community. African Passions and Other Stories was her first full-length published work, and although she has written two novels since then, she is still very much considered a newcomer in the literary world.

In general, however, Rivera has received some commentary on her eccentric characters, her sure-handed writing, and the energetic entanglements in her stories. Critics refer to her writing as inventive and provocative. Adrienne A. Bendel, writing for the Denver Post, states that Rivera “explores universal themes ... spiced with the uniqueness of the Cuban-American experience.” This reviewer also states that Rivera writes with “humor, irony, affection and zest.”

Sybil S. Steinberg, writing for Publishers Weekly, refers to some of the characters that Rivera creates as “endearingly self-absorbed.” In a specific review of African Passions and Other Stories, M. V. Ekstrom writes in Choice, “The stories touch on many aspects of Latin American history and cultural identity, yet the themes are universal.” He then adds, “This is a fine collection.”