The River Beyond the World

The winner of a Whiting Foundation Award, short-story writer Peery (Alligat or Dance) sets her first novel in the border country between Texas and Mexi co, from 1944 to the present, and recounts the intertwining tales of Luisa Cantu and Edwina "Eddie" Hatch over a 50-year span. Having fled her Mexican hometown burdened by pregnancy from an ancient fertility ritual, Luisa fin ds employment as maid-of-all-work for petulant, wealthy Eddie Hatch, a tran splanted Southern lady easily irritated by "lazy" Mexican help and her skit tish, sexually uninterested husband. She and Luisa enter into an oddly inti mate, if outwardly crusty relationship over the decades, during which Eddie gives birth to her only child, Raleigh (the result of a dalliance with a c itrus grower) and Luisa raises her children, Gustavo and Antonia. Inevitabl y, Antonia and Raleigh fall in love and conceive a baby. In a typical preem ptive attempt to resolve matters, self-righteous Eddie takes Antonia over t he border into Mexico for an illicit abortion that never comes to pass but serves to poison Antonia's sentiments towards "Madama" Eddie forever. The s tory then barrels toward closure, in which Luisa and Antonia must learn to forgive Eddie's hurts and Eddie must acknowledge Luisa's importance in her old age. Peery spins an involving narrative, maintaining suspense about the central characters' relationships. At times, however, one wishes she had t urned her observant eye more to the characters' inward reflections than on atmosphere; her powers of rich description invite readers to hope for the s ame level of intense contemplation applied to the characters' inner lives.

Product Info

ISBN: 0312147198

ISBN-13: 9780312147198

Publisher: Picador USA

Year: 1996

Type: Used

Binding: Hardcover

First Edition

Seller Info

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Country: Japan