Diane Kurasik’s life seems to be mimicking the films that she shows at the Bedford Street Cinema. She is facing her fortieth birthday alone while trying to find a new place to live since the apartment she’s currently living in is scheduled to be torn down.

Diane finds herself moving in with her parents, spending nights on her friends’ couches and watching life around her move on while she is standing still. Her life takes on a change when she meets Vladimir Hurtado Padrón, one of the men who is in charge of designing the new addition to the cinema and they start dating although it isn’t like any other relationship she’s had.

Vladimir comes from Cuba where his family and wife still live. He is adamant about never returning and spends a lot of his time trying to get Americans to understand the damage that Castro has done. Vladimir is upfront with Diane about his marriage and that his wife won’t grant him a divorce even though they haven’t seen each other in over twelve years.

Don’t Make a Scene is an all around interesting read. There are a lot of film references throughout the entire book that honestly went over my head since I’m the furthest thing away from a film or movie buff that there is. I found myself going back and forth from my computer to the book while looking up the films mentioned to see how they related and it got a bit distracting at times. However, the characters were varied, diverse and fleshed out well enough that kept me coming back for more.

Author Valerie Block has a very unique and original writing style that incorporates an abundance of details and imagery into an unforgettable story of self-discovery. 3 Angels.

Reviewed by: Tammy