Philadelphia, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2014 -- In a debut novel by Nadel Harvey, a young man named Roberto Davila comes to the United States from Panama and must adjust to life in the “City of Brotherly Love”. Finding no warm welcomes, Roberto soon finds that loneliness and homesickness overwhelm him. Studying becomes his only solace, and soon, he finds that he may be more successful than he could have dreamed as a boy.

‘Stilettos in the Sun’ is Roberto’s tale, and it’s one that many immigrants will find immensely relatable. Harvey paints a vivid picture of a young man ostracized for his accent, his handsomeness and his intelligence. Pre-judged before he can reveal all of the facets of his personality, Roberto must forge ahead to make his own way in the world, free from the racism and cruelty of his peers.

In later life, Roberto has a string of romantic entanglements, but none clutch his heart more than Yolanda, a woman who will sear herself into his soul and send him on a quest across the globe, to forget her and ultimately, to win her back.

Romantic, entertaining and often heartrending, ‘Stilettos in the Sun’ is a brilliant first novel from an author to watch.

Official Synopsis:

Stilettos in the Sun is the story of Roberto Davila, a young engineer-mathematician. As a boy, his Panamanian parents sent him to live with an uncle and his family in Philadelphia. He is full of trepidation, having never lived outside his hometown, Colon.

He spends his days musing over happier times, writing poems and songs as a way to assuage his longing.

If his accent and his handsomeness are not enough to make the boys dislike him, he is a diligent student and excels in his studies. He finds that while one can be as smart as he wants in the classroom, he still has the labyrinth of dangerous streets to negotiate.

As the author explains, while Roberto is not a typical hero, he rises above the cookie-cutter portrayals of men in other novels.

“Male characters can be very one-note and boring,” says Harvey. “Roberto is a good man, and he has to adjust himself in the face of enmity and outright abuse. He is held hostage by his own goodness and his own attractiveness – people are cruel to him because of those things, and how difficult to live with…”

Continuing: “But what’s fantastic about Roberto is that he never loses faith. He still searches for love and he still seeks to be the best man he can be. He’s resourceful and hardworking and he’s come from nothing. To me, he’s a hero who fashions his own cape to soar above the ugly clouds of the present in search of a beautiful future.”

‘Stilettos in the Sun’ is available now: http://amzn.to/QpRklG

About Nadel Harvey
Nadel Harvey was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He studied mathematics and civil engineering and has worked as a civil engineer. He has traveled and worked throughout the Middle East and Latin America. He is presently writing a sequel to Stilettos in the Sun and a third novel, also. He speaks six languages and lives with his wife and two sons.