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Told through multiple perspectives, Sáenz's novel explores the intimate thoughts and events of the Espejo family as they confront the imminent effects of the Vietnam War on their beliefs, choices, and lifestyle. Tension builds in the house as Gustavo the oldest son receives his draft notice; his twin sister develops a relationship with a man who has voluntarily enlisted; and the family matriarch dies suddenly, leaving the household in emotional turmoil. Writing in a sparse narrative style, Sáenz draws on many archetypes of the Vietnam era: the conscientious objector, the long-haired rebel, the patriotic father, and the worried mother. Pairing these traditional perspectives with a distinctly Mexican American culture lets the reader view the turbulence of the 1960s through fresh eyes, and while the alternating stories can sometimes feel truncated, they combine to create a rich, conflicting, and ultimately heartbreaking saga of a family's loyalty and love for one another.--Paulson, Heather Copyright 2007 Booklist

In Saenz's lyrical sixth novel, Octavio Espejo leads an ordinary life in multiethnic 1967 El Paso: he sells insurance and is raising three children with his wife, Lourdes. Octavio was brought to the U.S. from revolutionary Mexico as a child and talks about the family's roots across the border, but on the whole the family has silently Americanized. The Vietnam War and the counterculture, however, begin to change how his children conceive of themselves and their lives-teenaged twins Gustavo and Xochil in particular. Gus must make choices about facing the draft; Xochil, a rape victim when she was 12, attempts to reconcile the era's passions with internal bitterness. Saenz shifts perspectives fluidly among the family, relatives and friends. The climax is given away early, keeping the focus on the manner in which the characters come to know themselves-or fail to. The result is a beautiful mosaic of the borderlands as women's liberation and the Chicano movement gain traction. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Transpiring during a week in September 1967, this fourth major novel by Saenz focuses on the confluence of two symbiotic events in the Espejo family: the death of Grandmother Rosario and her 18-year-old grandson's receipt of a U.S. Army induction notice. Saenz creatively and effectively weaves these stories together using several alternating threads: all five members of the Espejo family plus two Vietnam soldiers narrate their respective stories. Though the grandson, Gustavo, eventually emerges as the lead character as he struggles over whether to obey the draft orders, the other characters battle their own private wars, such as rape and marital discord. Like his 2005 In Perfect Light, this novel transcends its setting--El Paso's Hispanic community--and will appeal to a much wider readership. Saenz's innate understanding and vivid description of the nation's angst at the time over the Vietnam War is commendable; it is perhaps no accident that the book's publication date coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Tet Offensive. Well written, moving, and highly interesting, this is Saenz's best work yet. Highly recommended, especially for public libraries.--Lawrence Olszewski, OCLC Lib., Dublin, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A sweeping epic about the choices a Mexican-American El Paso family makes during the Vietnam War. Sáenz (In Perfect Light, 2005, etc.) uses the Espejo family to explore the effect of war on immigrant America, with characters alternating perspectives on the war in short, often overly lyrical chapters. Octavio, the patriarch, is an intellectual striving to instill pride and love of learning in his family. Meanwhile, his wife, Lourdes, is concerned with what will become of her children, part of a generation on the cusp of upheaval. Octavio is at odds, in particular, with his oldest son, Gustavo, a popular rebel with little respect for authority and an easy ability to create trouble at every turn--especially for schoolmates who disagree with his politics. Much to Gustavo's chagrin, his beautiful twin sister, Xochil, has fallen in love with one of his enemies, and she struggles between her loyalties to her brother and her own ideas and feelings. Meanwhile, a soldier in Da Nang who knew Xochil keeps her in his thoughts as a way of coping with the destruction and death he is forced to witness every day. And Gustavo and Xochil's younger brother, Charlie, unnerved by the changes taking place in his world, takes solace in maps and globes, feeling secure only when he knows exactly where his beloved family members are. Charlie is right to be concerned--over the course of 1967, his beloved grandmother Rosario finally succumbs to the illness that has kept her bedridden. And when Gustavo gets his draft card, he defies his parents and sister and runs off to Mexico, his ancestral homeland. With both Rosario and Gustavo gone, the family must figure out where they stand, and if they will be able to come together as a unit. Sáenz deftly captures a mood, but his obsession with introspection bloats the family story. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.