Author Michel Stone pens her first novel as a glimpse into the lives of those who aspire to live a better life –– the type of life found, sometimes mythically, amid the prosperity and benefits offered in the United States. A story of not only individuals, “The Iguana Tree” is an observation of a society and the consequences its decisions and policies create. Heartbreaking, infuriating, brutal and offering no solutions –– Stone’s story begs the response to react.
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The lazy, dusty streets of Puerto Isadore, Mexico, provide the drifting scents of tropical flowers, the savory hints of stews simmering in the adobe huts that line the thoroughfare, and the pungent hint of incense burning on the outside patios. The guttural sounds of chickens and goats are familiar, and the occasional giggles from small groups of children fill any silent moment that may consider existence. Young Lilia stands in one of the doorways cradling her infant daughter as she watches her husband, Hector, slowly vanish into the glare of the afternoon sun. Although she loves her family’s homeland, she believes as he does: that their future lies over the border, in the United States. The tales of employment, and a brighter future, lure them, despite the dangers the journey promises. With only a vow to contact her when he is safely across, Lilia watches as Hector disappears. Nothing in her experiences can prepare her for the weeks ahead.
At the border, Hector crouches for 13 days in a filthy dark room waiting for the signal to move. Only his fellow “pollo” –– the Spanish word for chicken, and also a slang word for immigrants being smuggled across the boarder –– offers him any comfort. Their brief exchanges create a strong bond. When the signal comes the darkness and quiet make it impossible for him to discern the number of men who are quickly crammed into the bottom of a truck bed, the entrance finally being welded shut behind them. Lying head to feet, with no light and no room to even lift their heads, time becomes indiscernible. The stench of urine, sweat and vomit make them certain their survival is not assured. When the rumbling of the truck stops for the last time and the men are dragged out onto the ground, Hector and his fellow travelers decide to accept the identification that will get them work in South Carolina.
In Puerto Isadore, Lilia struggles with the death of her grandmother, and the time without Hector passes painfully. When she is offered the chance to cross over to the United States –– a move she knows Hector will disapprove of because he is not paying for it –– she takes it and begins a nightmare journey of her own.
Promised at the border that she will be reunited with her young daughter on the other side, she reluctantly surrenders her child into the arms of a stranger and then follows the orders of the men who have brutalized her during the last few days. At the mercy of these same men, she jumps, at their signal, into the waters of the Rio Grande and swims for her life.
On the other side Lilia discovers that the swim was just the first struggle in a series of increasingly difficult challenges in America. What waits ahead threatens not only her relationship with her husband, but also with his new employers. And the fate of their family and their future is as murky as the waters she has just crossed.
Stone offers not so much of a story ending as a call to consider. The ending is uncertain and undecided, but resolute in its last event. The rest is up to the reader. Stone will be signing “The Iguana Tree” at 6:30 p.m. May 11 in Morris Book Shop (882 E. High St.).