The Border by Steve Schafer

A quincenera is a right of passage. A large celebration for most latin girls. It is when a girl turns fifteen years old. A big party to celebrate this milestone in life is usually thrown. There is family, lots and lots of family, friends, good food, cake and music.  It marks the transition from childhood to young womanhood. There is a big pretty dress and a court made up of friends and family. It is a memorable event. Not one I see mentioned in novels or movies, much. Schafer opens up his novel with this celebratory event.

The reader is lured into a fun and safe place but  tragedy strikes fast and the story unfolds right before your eyes. Pato, Arbo, Marcos, and Glady are our main characters and they have stepped away from the main event when gunshots ring out. When they return to the scene they find they are the only survivors. Everyone else is gone except the gunmen. The gunmen are Narcos and the only way to escape with their lives is to flee.

The fighted, young group of teens are wanted  by the narcos and  have price put on their heads. The only way to make it alive it to cross the border from Mexico into the United States. Getting to the border is the easy part.  Crossing the vast empty, hot land with little to no supplies and surviving will be near impossible. 

Their voyage is fraught with many issues and one can't help but to imagine the desperation not only these characters feel but that of those who attempt to cross the border into the United States every day. There are predators all around, animal and human. Minimal water, oppressive heat, no medication, no map are a few of the issues they will be forced to face. 

The character's are realistic. The story is touching and covers a variety of topics that we don't see in the media or that isn't understood. 

The characters' are flawed and Schafer does an excellent job of giving them voice and making them "alive". I felt a connection to each of them and could easily see them in the people I know, the people I lov and  the strangers on the street whose background story I don't know. 

This was an extremely emotional read for me and it left me feeling helpless, powerless and slightly misanthropic yet I  encourage you to read this. I highly recommend it. 

There is spanish in the novel and it isn't always translated or translated correctly but I feel that a reader would still get the gist of what is being said.