CBR 15 Bingo: Guide – Guillermo has spent his afterlife guiding migrants from Mexico safely across the Sonoran Desert.
Mateo is desperate to return to his life in Arizona after he and his family are deported back to Mexico, but that desperation makes him reckless. Lost in the desert, he must rely on someone he’s not even sure exists if he’s going to make it to safety.
This is a graphic novel about Mateo, a teenage boy who is trying to cross the border into the States. Despite having lived in Arizona since he was a toddler, he and his family were deported to Mexico recently, and he is desperate to make back in time for the start of his senior year of high school. Though I have read plenty about what’s happening at the US-Mexico border in the news, I picked up this book as I hadn’t really learned about it interpreted through fiction before.
I really loved the art in this book – the artist does an excellent job of showing the beauty and the danger of the desert which Mateo and Guillermo cross. I enjoyed how he drew the characters, as it really helps enhance the humor and emotion of different moments. I also was interested in learning about the many ways characters in America helped or hindered those making the difficult crossing, and what made them make those choices.
However, I did feel the narrative was a little disjointed in places, as different incidents (the border patrol, the leopard) which worked on their own didn’t feel like they lined up thematically within such a quick read. I also found myself often annoyed with Mateo. It’s made clear to us why he’s being so impatient, but the excuse still feels like a flimsy one to hold up against the foolish decisions he makes to disobey both his original guide and Guillermo at different points in the story.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
