PERPETUAL WEST

Tony Chiroides's narration moves fluidly between English and Spanish in this grim, thoughtful novel. Married couple Alex and Elana move to El Paso for grad school. Alex is eager to explore his Mexican heritage; Elana plans to continue studying literature. When Alex falls in love with Mateo, a Mexican lucha libre fighter, and disappears with him, Elana is left frantically searching for the husband she thought she knew. Chiroides captures the nuances of various Mexican and Mexican- American accents, as well as the complicated inner lives of Alex, Elana, and Mateo. Maren's prose and, thus, Chiroides's nuanced narration are often heavy with tension. This is an introspective story about three young people who are struggling to love and live freely in an inhospitable world. L.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2022]