Crossers

By Philip Caputo
Alfred A. Knopf, $27.95, 448 pages

Philip Caputo’s latest novel, Crossers, explores the immigrant life, drug deals, and crime at the Arizona-Mexico border. After losing his wife in the September 11 terrorist attacks, Gil Castle, a wealthy executive in the investment world, goes to live at his family ranch in Arizona in hopes that the secluded life will help him deal with his loss and recover from his grief. The ranch connects him to his family past, and we learn about his late grandfather’s notorious life, characterized by crime, border corruption, and conflicts. Caputo weaves together Castle’s story and the history of his family with mastery. Castle’s search for peace shatters when he gets in the center of conflict with drug lords whose violence cannot be stopped by the police. His rescue of a Mexican border jumper leads to violence and deadly encounters with vengeance-seeking drug dealers, and his life turns into hell. The novel uncovers it all: life after 9/11, stereotypes about Mexican crossers, and the activities of drug cartels.

This is a fine work by a master storyteller. Caputo grips your attention with his use of language, which crosses the boundaries of English and Spanish.

Reviewed by Emmanuel Sigauke