Review: Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea

In northern Mexico, the notorious girlfriends of the dusty, dying town of Tres Camarones work a variety of part-time jobs so they can buy clothes and makeup and go to the movies. After celebrating Tia Irma's victory as the town's first woman mayor, Nayeli realizes that the only close male companionship she, Yolo, and Vampi have is Tacho, the gay owner of the so-called Internet café. The men have all gone to that paradise known as the United States.

How will the town protect itself? And how can the young women date and marry? Nayeli decides to follow the example provided by the movie The Magnificent Seven, starring Mexico's favorite actor, Yul Brynner. She will go to America and bring back seven of her countrymen to protect the town and revive the population. And while she's there, she will find her father and bring him back home.

When Yolo, Vampi, Tacho, and Nayeli leave their familiar Tres Camarones, they are ill-equipped and unprepared to survive Mexico, let alone to cross the border and find help.

From the nightmarish bus trip through Mexico to the bittersweet drive across America, Urrea's skill as a storyteller shines, especially when he focuses on the spunky Nayeli. The plight of the truly poor who live in the towns just south of the border was heartbreakingly portrayed. And it was particularly interesting to see the people, culture, and geography of the States through the eyes of a new arrival.

Unfortunately, the circumstances that motivated the friends to set off on their desperate quest are underdeveloped and thus it was difficult to buy the premise. Some of the side stories lacked sufficient depth and became tangents rather than additions to Nayeli's journey. There was quite a bit of Spanish in the book, and readers unfamiliar with the language may not fully understand several passages. And, finally, the climax of Nayeli's cross-country trip was a letdown, either as a result of her choices or because her reactions were left to the reader's imagination, or perhaps a bit of both.

There is, however, a lot to like about Into the Beautiful North. Nayeli and Tacho were sympathetic characters, and Nayeli's intelligence, bravery, and determination were admirable. Although parts of the book focused on the difficult and sometimes horrific conditions for a particular segment of the Mexican population, the novel is not without humor, and this is another of Urrea's strengths.

Despite the flaws of Into the Beautiful North, I was not disappointed in Urrea as an author. He has written several other books—both fiction and nonfiction—as well as three collections of poetry. I recommend exploring this author's works.

Luis Alberto Urrea has a website where you can learn more about his books and watch a moving video about Into the Beautiful North.

Into the Beautiful North at an Indie

Into the Beautiful North at Powell's
Into the Beautiful North at Amazon

Published by Little, Brown, 2009
ISBN-13: 9780316025270
Challenges: A-Z author, New Author, 999, 100+
YTD: 45
Rating: B