My objective in this study is twofold: to examine briefly the socioeconomic context that provides the setting for these novels; and to analyze the conflicting points of view surrounding (and occurring within) one fictional jinetera –Claudia/La Mora, the protagonist of El hombre, la hembra y el hambre, the 1998 novel of Daína Chaviano, a Cuban writer living in Miami since 1991– as she negotiates this world of limited legitimate economic opportunities, subterfuge and double-standards. (Complete text in PDF).