A poignant exploration of family ties, cultural legacy, and the courage to forge one’s path. The prose is atmospheric and describes the rugged beauty of the landscape.
Many thanks to University of Nevada Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

White Dove, Tell Me is an intriguing and mostly gentle story of a Basque family and community in Urepel, Arizona. Place plays an important and seminal role in the story and strengthens the plot. Xapier Etxea, the young man who is the protagonist of the story, lives on a family sheep farm with his wife and new baby. Basque names play a strong role in the book, including a discussion between Xapier and his wife Idetta about whether or not to name the baby boy Ferdinand.

When Xapier's father dies in a way that may or may not have been an accident, Xapier is shocked to discover that the ranch, the strongest connection to his identity, is in danger of foreclosure. Fred, a former sheep ranch owner and family friend assumes that Xapier's father committed suicide in order to save the ranch, but the story is not so straightforward. Another character to add to the mix is Father Kieran, the local priest with a humorous bent. Xapier's friends of most of his years, Jean and Louie, and Louie's wife, Pascaline also play strong roles in identifying Basque heritage.

Jenny, Xapier's former girlfriend, is also woven into the plot. Her character seems a bit stilted, and it's difficult to ferret out her relationship with Xapier's father. The plot might have been more comprehensive without this additional connection.

The "arima" or soul of the Basques plays an important and significant role that so skillfully emphasizes what holds all the characters together. Language, culture, and the identity of the land are what build an impressive and dynamic whole. The eponymous white dove which flies into the window glass is stunned, and then joins a hundred other doves that mystically fly around Xapier only to disappear.

Thanks to the University of Nevada Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.