The Monster-in-Law

I have just returned from Cuba. Our guide could hardly have been more knowledgeable and was generally able to answer all our questions. He explained that not only do Cubans invariably work in the place where they are brought up but they also continue to live with their parents even after marriage. Tradition dictates that daughters and their husbands live with her parents rather than his. I enquired about divorce and was informed that, “It happens and there is lots of it, it’s the mother-in-law you see.” In case I hadn’t understood the extent of the problem he then added, “In Cuba we call her the monster-in-law!”