Signs Preceding The End Of The World by Yuri Herrera

 

Makina is the communicator in her small Mexican village.  She takes messages from one person to another and since she has the only telephone, she answers and goes and gets the person who the call is from.  But now her mother has a job for her.  She wants Makina to cross the border between Mexico and the United States, find her brother, and give him a message asking him to return.  Makina agrees but before she can start her journey, she is also contacted by a member of the local cartel who demands that she also deliver a package.

As Makina makes her way, she encounters other travelers and the coyote who ferries them.  She is in danger several times but knows how to dodge problems.  She not only moves from one country to another but from one language to another as need asks.

Yuri Herrera is considered by many as the best Mexican author writing today.  He has written three novels which gained several literary prizes and is about to publish his fourth.  He was born in Mexico and received his doctorate in literature from Berkley.  His novels are short but he packs a lot of information in each sentence, showing the world what it is to be born and to grow up in Mexico.  He explores the alienation of those who move to other countries and the loneliness of leaving one's friends and family behind.  He is currently a professor at Tulane in New Orleans.  This book is recommended for readers interested in other cultures and literary fiction readers.