A Handbook to Luck (Vintage Contemporaries)
García's solid triptych opens in 1968, where Enrique Florit is  a nine-year-old struggling to retain memories of his mother, who died in a  bizarre accident in Cuba during one of his father Fernando's magic acts. Father  and son relocate to Las Vegas, where Enrique develops a fascination with  gambling. The novel then shifts to Marta Claros, a young girl attempting to eke  out a living for her family in San Salvador, El Salvador, by selling used  clothing. Marta's younger brother, Evaristo, escapes from their violent  stepfather and takes up residence in a coral tree, only to witness brutal acts  committed by soldiers at night. Marta, meanwhile, devises a plan to immigrate  to the U.S., hoping to send for Evaristo later. In yet another part of the  world, Leila Rezvani grows up amid luxurious yet isolated surroundings in  Tehran, where her mother flirts with the horticulturist, her father is absorbed  by his work, and her brother is dying. Enrique emerges as the central figure as  years pass, first entangling with Leila, whom he meets in a casino, and later  with Marta, with whom he has a platonic relationship. García (Dreaming in Cuban) lovingly portrays her characters  grappling with misfortune and luck in unfamiliar surroundings.(Apr.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.