La Línea

Per Kelly Klieforth’s suggestion, I decided to pick up Ann Jaramillo’s La Línea and give it a whirl. The story is based around Miguel, a fifteen-year-old boy in Mexico who has been waiting at his grandmother’s house along with his sister, Elena, for seven years in order to join his dad who lives and works in the U.S. Life in San Jacinto has few employment prospects and as a result most of the younger men have already moved away in search of work in order to support respective their families. Eventually, Miguel receives his own opportunity to leave for the U.s. when his dad sends him a letter and money, telling Miguel that it is time and to seek for help of a coyote. Naturally, Miguel’s plans fall apart and he is forced to adapt and struggle to survive while in search of his goal. Along this trip, Jaramillo presents the reader with a series of snapshots encapsulating the dangerous journey of an undocumented immigrant who has little to no protection from others along the way looking to take advantage of anyone’s vulnerability. These moments are the novel are poignant in that though many here in the U.S. are at least vaguely aware of the journey many take across the U.S.-Mexico border, many do not know much about what particular dangers they face.

I believe that the novel also draws in readers with Hispanic heritage in the way that it implements various Spanish phrases and dichos (sayings) throughout. Frequently, I came across a turn of phrase written in Spanish that sounded familiar, or perhaps a character description that reminded me of one of my family members and the way they act. One example was during Miguel’s goodbye party the day before he left on his journey. The way that Jaramillo described how the family would self-sacrifice -if only by slaughtering the goat that they should have probably saved- in order to honor a family member made me think of the way my family has gone above and beyond in order to celebrate another’s special moment. I think that Jaramillo’s depth of description is meant to engage the memory of these readers, as well as to introduce those not as familiar with Hispanic customs to a new world and experience for many. However, this length and frequency of description can also lead to some somewhat awkward writing.


-Robert