THE GREATEST PERFORMANCE by Elias Miguel...

THE GREATEST PERFORMANCE by Elias Miguel Munoz (Arte Publico Press/University of Houston: ($8.50). Munoz’s unusual, erotic novel takes the form of a double memoir by two Cuban childhood friends who find each other and themselves as adults in America decades later. A lesbian and a gay man, Rosa and Mario must confront not only the Byzantine politics of the Castro regime and the expatriate Cuban community but also the sexism of traditional Latino culture. Rosa endures endless, prying questions from her female relatives: “Oye, chica, when are you going to give us the pleasure of attending your wedding.” Mario is savagely beaten by his father, who refuses to accept his son’s sexuality. When Rosa loses her Anglo lover and Mario contracts AIDS, the oddly star-crossed pair discover their friendship has outlasted their other emotional attachments.