The German Girl

On a very rainy day, there are police clashes and student protests outside of the Faculty of Pharmacy building at the university. There is a sound like a gunshot and someone yelling to the students to get on the ground. Hannah does, and the boy who had yelled tells her she can get up. The boy is holding her books and says he won’t give them back until she tells him her name. She tells him it is “Ana, but pronounced like it begins with a J” (264). When she leaves the building after class, the boy is waiting for her. His name is Julian. He says, “it’s the J that unites us” (265). He studies law. His hair is long and curly. He finds her in class the next day, and she tells him her family name, Rosen.

Hannah finishes her studies and opens her own pharmacy, Farmacia Rosen, in Havana. She employs Hortensia’s sister, Esperanza, who is good at interacting with people and listening to their stories and woes. Esperanza’s son Rafael helps with home deliveries. Hannah feels the pharmacy is her escape from her mother’s unhappiness. During the evenings, Hannah spends time with Esperanza and Rafael. They chat and listen to boleros on the radio.