All That Rises: A Novel (Camino del Sol)

Immigration is a major issue in this country. In this novel, the author has created two neighbor families in the border town of El Paso, Texas, whose connections are deeper and more torturous than they could ever realize or confront.

In one family, the father and son are immigration agents. This Mexican family is upwardly mobile and sending the younger son off to college. Their neighbors, the DuPres, have a set of twins and a precocious nine year old, Jordan. The father runs a maquiladora or sweatshop. At the beginning of the novel, Rose Marie Dupre, the mother, runs off to parts unknown, leaving her family to fend for themselves.

The common unit between the families is Lourdes, the Mexican maid who is not only between the two families but also between the two worlds of the border town.

The novel juggles the disparate families and the huge cast of characters, leaving this reader somewhat adrift as the author shifts between all the stories and events. To further complicate the cast of characters, she introduces a bawdy aunt who is seemingly at war with her family and the world at large. It may be a difficult read for some, but rewarding.