This book...I don't want to give a blow-by-blow summary because I don't want to spoil the mix of curiosity and apprehension you'll feel while reading the first few chapters. Suffice it to say this is a book that's set, by my understanding, in dystopian Mexico.

In its broadest sense, the story is about a young woman who tires of her servitude to her village, and after a series of shocks, she determines to strike out on her own–into the desert–in search of herself. The people (and mystical creatures) she meets and befriends along her path add emotional strain upon her which stretch her body and mind to their limits. Her friends' experiences and facing her own truths make her question the gift (or curse) given her by the sun god Solís, and even to challenge Solís's intentions.

I fell in love with this story within a page of reading, and I didn't put it aside until I'd read it through to its conclusion. But it isn't an edge-of-your-seat page-turner. It's an intensely beautiful ride through the fears, concerns, and questions of a young woman who decides she can no longer live only for others and has to find out for herself what her life means and what her value to the world is.

This book is so much more than its title, or indeed the cover description, implies. "Each of us a desert" applies not only to the main character and the friend she shares a mysterious bond with. That phrase describes all the characters Xochitl meets and befriends in her trek across the desert. All of her companions, and everyone in her world, hide dark truths deep within themselves, far from the sight of others and the light of Solís. The questions and truths Xochitl faces are grow deep and are eventually life-threatening and world-changing.

Mark Oshiro has given us a gift with this thought-provoking story that isn't another white "American" dystopian novel. I loved that the people seemed to be from all different areas--I'm guessing all South of the US. From the description of the land, it might be in the very southern end of Mexico. It doesn't really matter. What matters is it's a story of a people with a connection to the earth and the sun and the stars, and a culture that holds them together or tears them apart. It overflows with themes, morals, and the recognition of the good and bad that is human nature.

This book is going on my shelf with my favorite/comfort books I re-read somewhat frequently. That's how much this story means to me.

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Created Mar 11, 2024 at 5:37pm • Submit your own review...