✨ Review ✨ The Border Between Us by Rudy Ruiz

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

{I'm so mad at myself for not reviewing this one while it was fresh in my mind}

Ruiz is a master storyteller of borderlands stories. I loved Valley of Shadows and so I was quick to pick this one up, but it was so incredibly different, and yet just as good!

This one follows Ramón Lopez throughout his teen years (and maybe a bit beyond). The child of immigrants and the older brother to a boy with some significant disabilities, Ramón always feels like he's not quite supported by his family. As they straddle the border and his dad straddles a range of economic opportunities, their family is frequently in economic distress, and he ends up moving in with his grandma.

The book tackles the complexity of the American Dream -- is it something to aspire to? Is it even possible? Is it even desirable? As Ramón seeks to pursue his interests in art, he faces down troubles and grief of all varieties, and we are left with the question, is it worth it?

The book is a story of aspiration, of borderlands travails, of economic struggles, of family drama and so much more. The writing is complex and beautiful and thought-provoking. I'm so glad I picked this one up!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: contemporary fiction, literary fiction
Setting: Texas-Mexico borderlands, NYC
Pub Date: Aug 27 2024

“The Border Between Us” by Rudy Ruiz tells the tale of Ramón, a young boy born along the U.S.-Mexico border. Determined to chase after the American Dream, he often butts heads with his father and struggles finding his own compass. While his potential lay untapped, his father’s becomes drained.

Nicknamed “Big Money” for his entrepreneurial endeavors, Ramón falls in love with art and using it as a platform to express his culture. As he grows up, he discovers the world isn’t so black and white and the potential of blending the two worlds.

This one almost feels like a memoir, with each chapter focusing on a snippet of the protagonist’s life. I really enjoyed following Ramón along as he ages. The book has all the feels!

Thank you Blackstone Publishing for the ARC on @netgalley (out now)! This book was mentioned at the publisher pop up I went to a few months ago and was looking forward to diving into.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read and review The Border Between Us by Rudy Ruiz on NetGalley.

Published: 08/27/24

Stars: 4.5

Amazing. Ruiz is one of my favorite authors. He is 3 for 3 with me.

I found The Border Between Us different than his first two novels. This is solid. There are no hints of a higher power or Spanish/Mexican folklore.

He does write a magnificent story of a father and son. The father from Mexico and the son raised in the United States, their age differences, and education opportunities are explored. Gangs, cartels, and illegally crossing the borders are touched on. Life through each of their eyes is masterfully shown. Ruiz does stay true to the familial teachings by the parents.

I recommend this to all readers.

Ramón López's life has been a constant journey across the U.S. and Mexican border. As he observes his father's relentless chase for the American dream and his mother's dedication to his special-needs younger brother, Ramón yearns for escape. His artistic talent presents a chance for change, but what path will he choose? The novel's prose is so vivid and poignant, it resonates like a personal memoir, making the emotions palpable. Aimed at adult readers, it also holds a powerful allure for high school students with its gripping narrative of growth and self-discovery. This story delves deep into the myriad facets of the American Dream: the relentless pursuit, the failures, the moral compromises, the apparent successes that come at a great cost, the privileged who are born into it, and those teetering on the edge of success who face moral dilemmas. It's a tale of those in search of a new path when the old one diverges from their heart's true direction.

After writing The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez and Valley of Shadows, two novels tackling issues faced by Mexican-Americans living on the border but also featuring much magical realism, Rudy Ruiz has gifted readers with his most realistic novel to date and also my favorite.

For Christmas, young Ramón Lopez wants nothing more than the Evil Knievel bicycle spotted in a Brownsville store. He wouldn’t dare ride the only bike he has, a hand-me-down pink girl’s bike. Finding Ramón sitting on the floor with no textbook at the back of a trailer classroom in the local public school, his father José, owner of the small Joe’s Tires shop, determines to find the money to send Ramón to St. Mary’s, a local Catholic school, telling Ramón that education is the most important gift he can give him. A bike can be stolen, but education can never be taken away. Ramón determines to succeed in school but also to find a way to raise the money to buy the Evel Knievel bike, himself.

When circumstances force Ramón back to public school, a special talent promises to give Ramón a real shot at the American Dream, but this means leaving everything he knows behind, moving half-way across the country, and immersing himself in a new way of life.

This is a book about the American Dream, about those who pursue it and fail, about those who take shortcuts that betray others, about those who have outwardly achieved it but at too large a cost, about those born with a silver soon already in their mouths and no need to pursue the Dream, about those on the verge of achieving it but who must make difficult decisions when the path seems wrong or life events get in the way. Can they find a new direction?

It's a book about borders, about borders between countries, about borders between cultures, about borders between people, and about learning to both live with and get beyond those borders. It's a book about discovering the truth about others and about discovering oneself.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advance reader egalley of this important and touching new novel from Rudy Ruiz. I look forward all the more to his next.

The Border Between Us by Rudy Ruiz is a collection of short stories within the life of Ramon Lopez, told in linear chronological order from childhood to early adulthood. The stories reflect love, loss, and endurance within this stunning coming-of-age narrative. As an educator, I would love to see sections of this anthologized within our textbooks. My favorite piece is "Limes," a complex story about making a dream into reality. Ramon's father, Joe, is rendered perfectly: beautifully complicated, filled with awe and fear and resentment and love. The language of the prose elevates with the passage of pages and time from more simple with childlike candor to the brooding and lyrical voice of young adulthood, alive with promise but struggling to see the context of life outside the microcosm. The only thing that would have made this book better would be partnering with an artist to illustrate Ramon's artwork. On it's own though, this novel still deserves five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ramón López has spent his life going between the U.S. and Mexican border. Watching his father try to pursue the American dream while his mother takes care of his younger brother with special needs, Ramón wants to get out. When his artistic talent gives him the opportunity, what will he decide to do? The writing in this novel felt like I was reading a memoir - the emotions felt so real. Although written for adults, high school students should also enjoy this compelling coming-of-age story.

This is a timely and moving novel. Descriptive and vibrant in the storytelling, this is really a beautiful novel to immerse yourself in.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Ramón is such a delightful underdog character, but what I loved most about this highly relevant and heartening bildungsroman is that the border itself becomes a very real character. An important story, told with warmth and wit: a thoroughly captivating tale of living life on the hyphen, the linguistic border between being Mexican and American.

I loved this book. It's well written and a fun to read story of a boy growing up on the Texas/Mexico border, trying to make something of his life, trying to do better than his father, who himself was doing the best he could.

The Border Between Us is a coming-of-age novel told from the point of view of Ramón Lopez. This atmospheric and visual novel focuses on Ramón and his family, who live alongside the US–Mexico border. It begins with him as a young boy and follows him into adulthood, exploring the complexities of family life.

The Lopez family lives life on a spectrum—toggling countries, cultures, and aspirations for the future. His father is obsessed with providing for his loved ones, even if that calls for taking financial risks to get ahead. His mother is the main caretaker of Ramón’s brother, who has cerebral palsy and other disabilities. We get to know their extended family and their world and see them grow while navigating obstacles and defeat. Ramon is forced to figure out his place in the world.

This novel is a moving reflection by an older Ramón. Rudy Ruiz has captured how our perceptions of the world, our parents, and ourselves evolve from trusting children to know-it-all, resentful adolescents to adulthood with a more nuanced understanding and (perhaps appreciation). This relatable journey of self-discovery will surely connect with many readers.

I loved this book, which made me teary at times. Its vivid imagery and emotional depth are engaging. You will love this read if you like the works of Xochitl Gonzalez, How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica or An Honest Man by Ben Fergusson.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.