I loved Mesha Maren's debut, Sugar Run, and found this to be a very different follow-up novel (although I still enjoyed it). I think you can tell Maren is an academic, as those threads were very on the nose and thought-provoking, but the actual plot was a little random? I definitely will continue to read her work though, as I find it very thematically interesting. I'd also recommend if you like literary fiction that has fairly established plots, but is kind of academically-minded in its themes.

I went in to this a little blind and I'm so glad I did. I didn't know it was a companion/follow up type of novel because I hadn't read the first one, but I think it stands well on its own and I didn't feel like I was missing anything.

But the story swept me away. The relationship, the searching for his roots and identity. It was amazing and heartbreaking and I was so invested. Once Elana is on her own searching, my heart just broke since we had so much more information that she did.

This was a great read, one that swept me up and held me until the end. I loved it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Perpetual West follows a young married couple who move from West Virginia to El Paso, partly so they both can further their academic studies, but also so Alex, who was born just across the border in Juarez and adopted into the US, can learn more about his Mexican heritage. When Alex unexpectedly disappears into the vast country that is Mexico, both are forced to reckon with their own individual struggles and desires, and what that means for their future.

The character development is the crowning achievement of this novel, as Alex and Elena are practically forced into discovering themselves due to pressure cooker circumstances. The strong writing made their pain and struggle palpable on the page (fyi, this isn't really a happy book.) Maren covers a whole range of themes, from interethnic adoption and religion, to Lucho Libre as political statement and disordered eating, among others.

Perpetual West is a really interesting and relevant story so grounded in reality I feel like I practically know these characters. I recommend for fans of high stakes contemporary fiction that explores social justice issues.

The story of a young married couple that examines borders between countries and in relationships, Perpetual West is a thrilling, sweeping novel that will keep you gripped until the very last page.

I absolutely loved this book! I didn’t know how to start this review, but that sentence says it all! This book was such a fun story following Alex and Elana from Virginia to El Paso and subsequently lots of time in Juarez. As someone from a border state who is a Chicana, I absolutely loved the learning of Spanish, the luchador studying by Alex, and just everything about these characters as they moved and learned so much about themselves and each other. This book was absolutely beautiful and I loved it so much!

This is such a fascinating story about, well, mainly about borders and even boundaries. Elana and Alex move to El Paso it seems because Alex wants to be closer to the area where he is from. Alex meets Mateo, a wrestler, and there is an attraction there. Elana is away for a family issue, and when she returns Alex is gone. He is not answering his phone, etc. He has been kidnapped. Elana tries to get help, but no one really believes her and there is also a language barrier. This is such a beautifully written story that is rich in culture. It's a book that makes you think and dig deep within yourself.

DNF. I couldn’t get into this one at all. The characters weren’t interesting to me and it felt very slow.

(3.75 stars rounded up) PERPETUAL WEST by Mesha Maren is a novel about two cities (El Paso and Juarez), two countries (the USA and Mexico), and two people (newlyweds Alex and Elana), swirled together in a blend of domestic drama, lush prose, and a tinge of noir.

Newly settled in El Paso, Alex is working on his thesis on lucha libre, hanging out with lefties in Juarez, and reconnecting with his Mexican roots. Elana is working at a diner, skipping class, and forgoing meals. Unbeknownst to her, Alex has become involved with Mateo, a lucha libre wrestler, and when he goes missing, Elana starts a quest to track him down.

Leaping from meth addiction and religious devotion in rural West Virginia to the vise-like grip of drug cartels in Mexico, the book covered a lot of themes, including queer identity, adoption, the white gaze, corruption, and who we become under pressure. The absolute highlight of this novel for me was Maren’s dazzling writing. Her descriptions of the setting caught my breath, and the sense of place was incredible throughout.
However, I definitely wished to see how Alex and Elana interacted as best friends before things went off the rails, because a lot of the emotional valence of the book rides on Elana being keen to find him, and I wasn’t convinced. Plus, the epilogue raised way more questions than the already ambivalent (and totally adequate) ending of the book.

My hesitation in recommending this one is that if I were Mexican or Mexican American, I’m not sure how I’d feel about a non-Mexican writing this kind of narrative about my homeland. I couldn’t find any Own Voices reviews, but I’m committed to reading two books by authors of Mexican descent after this one! Also, its target audience may be hard to pinpoint – possibly readers who would enjoy the unlikely love child of Deepti Kapoor’s AGE OF VICE (also a violent thriller about the underbelly of the lives of the corrupt and wealthy) and Hernan Diaz’s IN THE DISTANCE (for its evocative depictions of the land).

Perpetual West is the first book I have reviewed by Mesha Maren. I found Alex and Elana’s journey riveting and was eagerly waiting for what was coming next. Good pacing. I really like novels about real life issues and especially anything to do with Hispanic culture. Alex’s journey was interesting, too.

Thanks to Mesha Maren and Algonquin Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4 stars

{3.5 stars}

“How we other-ize people, separate ourselves from them, and how this allows us to stop feeling compassion.”

———————

Whew, boy, I am 100% sure that there was so much in this that went over my head. The writing was really beautiful… And there are so many quotes that struck me very deeply, above is just one example.

I enjoyed the story, and, as usual, I liked one story more than the other… but unusually my story preference switched halfway through. initially, I was really bought into Elana’s story about her drug addicted brother in the Appalachian’s and not so much in Alex’s story. But as Alex went missing, I was much more interested in his story than Elana finding him. I completely understood the allusion of the physical border to the borders we hold in our minds. The evolution of Elana and Alex as individuals was really compelling.

What I am sure I missed was the more political and philosophical messages. I am glad I read it… But I think this is one that probably needs a second read to fully absorb all that there is contained within.

Thanks to Algonquin books for the gifted copy. All opinions above are my own.

This story was not my jam. While I do think there were some interesting parts I skimmed a lot of the book. I found the way the story was told to be tedious and honestly I just don't think the book was put together well. I think the author had too many ideas and tried to fit them into one book rather than truly fleshing out the ideas.

This story is a drapery, drawn with fabric expanded. The pattern has a few good focal points but otherwise is crowded by florid detail. Roadside sites, things only tourists notice, researcher notes that are meaningless to the reader. Reflections; backstory; pauses to internally comment or analyze; glasses of water, lots and lots of water; a detour to peruse a supermarket’s shelves; minor character flybys. So many motifs that we learn to spot the edges, prepare ourselves to skim-read but not so fast that we miss the transition to something of worth. It is only when the drape is opened, stacked so the busy pattern is hidden within its accordion folds, that the view becomes available.

With the focal points uncrowded, we find the story. Two people who married too young before they had a chance to discover what they wanted out of life. They stay together because they care about one another and there is no other clear direction. It will take a crisis to break the safe space of stasis. Both of them are likable, so we will hang tight, hoping for the best as they stumble toward a resolution. We also learn about lucha libre, which is kind of fun. We gain a glimpse at it as both sport and theater. More importantly, how it furthers community—a place to show the “spangling norteño pride.” Families with babies and grandmothers cheer Mateo as the Avenger of the North. He’s the embodiment of “fierce fronterizo pride, puro norteño to the core, a shining golden son.” Good stuff. So, why the cartel when there is so much here to work with such as the undeveloped story of Simon and Coe, a homegrown narco?

The sense of entrapment, the flight, the pursuit, the capture—that’s the tension of this book. Beyond that, Alex and Mateo’s relationship is examined and tested, and Elana has time to process where she stands and what she wants. Neto’s family dynamic is interesting, with him as the odd man out, the son considered the weakest. It’s odd, though, that a ruthless killer is the vehicle to carry through Alex’s frontier thesis. A man in the business of death and addiction helping migrants to realize “their own individual dream,” keeping them on his side of the fence. They are actually terrified of him as are all his employees. Neto’s brother says it is a way for to “play master.” Can there be a poorer choice of words? I wonder if Gurba regrets emptying the magazine on Cummings. Heaven forbid I’m poking a bear here, but I think it’s a good time to give the cartel trope a rest. The reading public seems to have had enough of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for providing this ebook.

I devoured this book in one sitting. It was such an easy plot to follow, the writing wasn't too complex, it was a really easy read for me. I'll admit that the first 6 chapters or so were pretty slow, but when it picked up- it picked up. I loved the pacing of this book. There were some things that I think require trigger warnings for sure, and I'm glad it didn't go any darker because that would have taken away from the story. As far as the ending is concerned- I liked the ambiguity of it, but I almost wish I hadn't read the epilogue because it didn't resolve anything in a way that felt like it was a necessary addition to the book. This book deals with a lot of big topics, it's heavier than I expected it to be, but I loved it. None of the characters resonated with me, but I did find most of them interesting and distinct. Maren is a really solid story teller, and I look forward to more books by them.

Thank you Algonquin for the arc!

Alex and Elana are a newly married couple who have moved to El Paso from a small town in Virginia to start a new life together. But while finishing up his Master's degree and rediscovering his roots in Juarez across the Mexican border, Alex finds himself falling in love with a lucha libre fighter named Mateo.

As Alex turns up missing, Elana tries to determine if someone has kidnapped him or if he has left her for someone else.

This novel started out a bit slow for me. I don’t usually enjoy reading about politics or activism, but the small amount peppered throughout the beginning was essential to the story. And while the plot and characters initially confused me, I was one hundred percent invested in each character.

Overall a slow burn but an important read. Take your time with this one, and enjoy the journey.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

With so much happening at the US-Mexico border, Mesha Maren's novel, Perpetual West, brings a fascinating perspective as told through the lens of a young married couple, Alex and Elana, who have moved from West Virginia to El Paso.

Alex was born in Mexico and adopted by a missionary couple from West Virginia. He moved in with Elana and her father and brother, and eventually he married Elana, his best friend. He wanted to go to Mexico to learn more about his heritage, so he and Elana are attending college in El Paso.

They frequently cross the border to Mexico, as Alex wants to study lucha libre, Mexican wrestling, for his thesis. He meets one of the wrestlers, Mateo, and quickly falls in love with him. When Elana goes back to West Virginia to welcome her brother Simon home from drug rehab, Alex and Mateo spend the week together.

Elana doesn't speak Spanish very well, and feels left out when she and Alex go to Juarez. She also has decided to drop out of college and is secretly battling anorexia. Her trip home brings up memories of her mother's death when Elana was just a young child.

When Alex doesn't pick up Elana from the airport, she fears something bad happened to him. The police tell her that Alex probably ran away, and they have so many missing people to look for, he is not a priority.

There is so much in this wonderfully written story. Even though there are many characters in the book, Maren manages to make us care about each of them. Elana, Simon, Mateo, Alex- each one is compassionately portrayed.

Her rendering of the settings- the city of Juarez, the drug cartel head's massive compound, Elana's apartment- are all drawn so you feel like you are right there. You can almost taste the delicious foods from her descriptions as well.

Maren's comparison of what happened to people who worked in the factories that moved from El Paso to Juarez to the miners of West Virginia- "both placed stretched thin, cadavered for their resources and labor and then abandoned, their people rendered subhuman in the national dialogue"- is eye-opening.

I also found her comparison of the migrants crossing into the United States for better opportunities to the people who moved west in the United States intriguing. One group is looked upon as brave frontiersmen forging a new life by opening up borders, the others are derided as "illegal aliens".

Perpetual West gives the reader a lot to ponder in this propulsive novel and there is a lot going on- love, art, violence, political issues, trauma, religion- enough to keep the reader engaged and thinking about this book long after it's over. It's easy to see why so many publications chose it as one of the Most-Anticipated Books of 2022. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Algonquin Books for putting me on Mesha Maren's tour.

Perpetual West by Meshan Maren

379 Pages
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Release Date: January 25, 2023

Fiction (Adult), Literary Fiction, Multicultural, Mexico, Adoption, LGBTQIA+, Bisexual, Anorexia

The book begins with Alex and Elana leaving their home in West Virginia heading to Texas and then Mexico. Alex was adopted and wants to find his roots. This is where the story is based – along the border. Although the characters cross the physical border from the United States into Mexico, there is also a crossing of the mental/emotional border.

At times reading this book, I wondered where it was going. There are other characters that could have stories of their own to find out why and how they became the people in the book.

Vivi – the artist
Simon – the addict
Mateo – the wrestler
Neto – the owner/younger brother
Noreen – the overbearing mother

The story had a steady pace for the most part and slow in others. The characters are somewhat developed, and it is written in the third person point of view from different perspectives. It is a dark story of loss, loneliness, and abandonment. All the characters are looking for something. As I read on, I realized, the story is about finding your truth. I would classify this book in the same category as Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic.

@AlgonquinBooks @MeshaMaren #perpetualwest

Perpetual West at times is three novels in one. I like the mystery novel best. Alex is missing, but we know where he is and what is happening to him. Will he live? What will be done to him next? Will his lover be able to save him? Or will Neto keep him as a pet or make an example of him? Mesha Maren keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering.

The other two novels within Perpetual West mosey along. Elana’s journey is interesting as she thinks she is on a particular path of self-discovery even if she is confused by it. I will warn you that she is on a path of self-harm, but does not recognize it. Her thought process is logical or maybe I suffer from the same ideas.

Alex’s novel is very disjointed and disappointing. He is exploring his heritage and his identity yet gets caught up in certain freedoms. I don’t know Maren means for this to be a moral on homosexuality or not.

None of these stories have an ending. Yup, you read it right. Unless Maren intends to write a sequel to West we will never know how we get from Chapter 34 to the Epilogue. It just ends. No answers, just ambiguity. I’m not a huge fan of novels that don’t even answer the mystery (chuckle). I can understand an emotional journey continuing, but how a person goes from being kidnapped to not…should have at least been answered.

This was my first book by the author and I enjoyed the book a lot at first, until Alex disappeared. I just wasn’t completely invested in the plot after that point. It’s tough reading a book that has multiple plot lines, especially when one was much more interesting. I still think others would love this book more than I did though.

Another well written book by this author but here the editor seems to be MIA. Flowed along nicely but then seemed to get stuck.

I adored Mesha Maren’s debut SUGAR RUN a few years ago so I was eager to see what her follow-up PERPETUAL WEST would be like. It’s.. a lot. The writing is dense and filled to the brim, the story is simple but filled with metaphor, complex relationships, and borders both real and imaginary. The biggest hurdle I had with this book was the feeling of inaccessibility into the dense writing and complex characters. There was a lot of pain and trauma within their stories, but there wasn’t a lot of life and therefore I had trouble connecting. There is no doubt Maren is an exceptional writer, and the first part of the book showcases that. However, the middle is middling and the ending left much to be desired.

Elana and Alex are young newlyweds who relocate to El Paso from Virginia in 2005. They are academics trying to find their place in the world and running away from difficult family situations. They are best friends, but clearly not compatible as a married couple. They both have secrets and when Elana travels back home to visit family without Alex, she returns a week later to find him missing and no one aple to help. The mystery as to where Alex has gone is complex and layered, and a super interesting part of the story, but once the mystery is somewhat solved, the book becomes a bit of a slog.