"SEND MY ROOTS RAIN"
Published by: Aunt Lute Books, San Francisco
ISBN-10: 1-879960-04-4
ISBN-13: 978-0807072738
Reviewed by: Pixie Emslie
Genre: Memoir
When Carole Rio, who calls herself a painter, arrives in the tiny Texas village of Pezo Seco, near the Mexican border she makes an immediate impression on the locals by fainting from the heat in the village square.
The reason she had ventured into this off-the-beaten-track place was that she had offered her services to the local priest, Father Arroyo, to paint religious murals on the walls of the church - but once she has recovered, and is taken in by one of the locals, she discovers the church doesn't even exist at this stage as it was burned down some time previously. Not only that but Carole and Father Arroyo are in fact both under the same roof as it turns out that her saviour, Maria, is also housekeeper to the priest.
The relationships of the village are complex, and the arrival of Carole serves as a catalyst for change. Suddenly everyone wants to be part of the action and the church begins to grow - mainly because the men want to make amends for their previous lack of interest. The day comes when it is complete and waiting to be decorated. Carole in turn is not sure that she can find the will to do the kind of religious icons that would serve the people's place of worship.
Her relationship with her God, and her fear of the desert around her both have an influence on her attitude to the town and its people. But she also finds herself in deeper relationships, and finally submits to her feelings for Maria, despite other complex webs woven around her. Together the two women create the murals for the newly-rebuilt church, at the same time weaving the bonds of their relationship, and those of the others around them, the priest, the housekeeper and their friends.
An unusual aspect of the book that sometimes makes the narrative slightly difficult to follow is the author's use of Spanish from time to time. For no definitive reason she occasionally slips into long Spanish sentences, which though translated, leave the non-Spanish reader like me skipping bits. I could see no consistency in when she uses Spanish dialogue and when she uses English.
Altogether a compelling story of the loves and lives of the people living in the harsh reality of the arid desert lands.
Pixie Malherbe is a South African journalist and communication consultant. She was on newspapers for years, worked on women's magazines in London and then ran her own communication consultancy for about 12 years. She was President of IABC Southern Africa (International Association of Business Communicators) and was given their Chairman's award in Toronto in 1995. She is currently a stringer for local newspapers.
More Reviews
WITHOUT A MAP, by Meredith Hall
AO TOA EARTH WARRIORS , by Cathie Dunsford