World Literature: Cleyvis Natera’s “The Grand Paloma Resort”

Summer might be coming to a close, but the perfect getaway is yet to come. This August, we welcome back the award-winning author of Neruda on the Park, Cleyvis Natera, for a reading and conversation of her enthralling new novel, The Grand Paloma Resort. Praised as a “gripping…lush and suspenseful summer read” (Al Dìa) with echoes of the pop culture phenomenon The White Lotus (Crime Reads), this psychological thriller grabs readers and refuses to let go. 

Cleyvis’ novel takes place at the titular Grand Paloma Resort, a lush paradise in the Dominican Republic, where guests enjoy incredible luxury and the staff is always eager to please. Laura is a local Dominican woman who has risen through the ranks to become the resort’s manager. Just weeks away from a promotion that could blaze a path for her off the resort and toward a life of opportunity, the only storm cloud in sight is Laura’s younger sister, Elena, who refuses to get with the program.

Elena has tried to live up to her sister’s expectations, working as a babysitter at the resort while relying on pills and partying to escape the drudgery of waiting on rich tourists. When a child left in her charge is believed dead, Elena knows she’ll be held responsible and begins to search for a way out. After a shady encounter with a wealthy guest, she thinks she might have found her escape, until the news of scandal and mystery breaks, and Elena is left wondering what role she might have played in the disappearance of two young girls. 

The Grand Paloma Resort offers an unforgettable story of class, family, and community, in which the true costs of luxury are laid bare, redeemed only by true acts of love.

You can purchase a copy of The Grand Paloma Resort at City of Asylum Bookstore.

About the Author:

Cleyvis Natera is the author of Neruda on the Park. She was born in the Dominican Republic, migrated to the United States at 10 years old, and grew up in New York City. She holds a BA from Skidmore College and an MFA from New York University. Her writing has won awards and fellowships from PEN America, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, The Kenyon Review’s Writers Workshops, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She lives with her husband and two young children in Montclair, New Jersey.

About the Moderator:

Damon Young’s debut memoir, What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays (Ecco), won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. Damon is also a founder of the culture blog Very Smart Brothas and was a contributing columnist for The Washington Post Magazine, a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, a columnist for GQ, the creator and host of the Crooked Media podcast Stuck with Damon Young, and was the inaugural Writer-in-Residence at the University of Pittsburgh’s David C. Frederick Honors College. His new anthology, That’s How They Get You: An Unruly Anthology of Black American Humor (Pantheon), debuted in June of 2025.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant, Cucina Alfabeto, is open for brunch from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Please visit Open Table or call 412-435-1111 to make a reservation.