Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything
Ratings5
Average rating3.4
“In a world where we are so often dividing ourselves into us and them, this book feels like a kind of magic, celebrating all beliefs, ethnicities, and unknowns.” —The New York Times Book Review Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe meets Roswell by way of Laurie Halse Anderson in this astonishing, genre-bending novel about a Mexican American teen who discovers profound connections between immigration, folklore, and alien life. It’s been three years since ICE raids and phone calls from Mexico and an ill-fated walk across the Sonoran. Three years since Sia Martinez’s mom disappeared. Sia wants to move on, but it’s hard in her tiny Arizona town where people refer to her mom’s deportation as “an unfortunate incident.” Sia knows that her mom must be dead, but every new moon Sia drives into the desert and lights San Anthony and la Guadalupe candles to guide her mom home. Then one night, under a million stars, Sia’s life and the world as we know it cracks wide open. Because a blue-lit spacecraft crashes in front of Sia’s car…and it’s carrying her mom, who’s very much alive. As Sia races to save her mom from armed-quite-possibly-alien soldiers, she uncovers secrets as profound as they are dangerous in this stunning and inventive exploration of first love, family, immigration, and our vast, limitless universe.
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2.5 stars rounded up because I love the premise.
When I was in high school I wrote a satirical play about aliens coming and the politicization of immigration. So when I heard about this book I knew I wasn't the only one to think of this! I was so curious to see how the author executed it.
While I enjoyed parts of this book, I didn't like the alien part a lot of how it was done. This just didn't work for me. The action scenes were also frustrating as well. I agree that the author seemed to bite off a lot here and I overall didn't love how it was executed.
WHAT. THE. HEEEEEEECCCKKKKK!!!
I don't know what just happened but i'm not mad about it.
i'm going to do a review on my channel soon but until then i'll leave you with this....
Luis Martinez. that's it that's the comment.
Sia Martinez is a seventeen-year-old girl in racist Arizona, still unaccepting of the death of her mother, who attempted to return to the US from Mexico after being deported by crossing the Sonoran Desert alone three years ago. Sia is tormented by the son of the sheriff who sent Sia's mother back to Mexico, her best friend is suddenly preoccupied with someone else, there is this new fellow in town, and her dead grandmother is always whispering in her ear.
We learn that plot elements involve sightings of blue lights in the sky, physical abuse, predatory men, formal religion, ancient spiritual beliefs, white privilege, the usual sexual explorations of young people, the beauty of the desert night, and so much more. Plus aliens. And ghosts.
All told in beautifully poetic language, with the wisest of thoughts and deepest of old stories.
In an odd way, this book is about everything people deal with, and it doesn't offer any easy answers or clear choices. People are a mix of good and bad, we are told by one character, and it's clear the author knows this well.
The truth is that this story goes all over the road, off the road lots of times, and often during the ride I wanted to pull over and walk. But around the next corner would come this fog of brilliance from the story and I kept going. Well worth the meandering ride for the great view, I think.
