SELENA

by Ernest Brawley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 21, 1979

In this muscular yet curiously lyrical novel about Chicano farm workers and landowners in California's tomato-growing country, Brawley spirals into some Steinbeckian mythic dimensions. Selena Cruz is ten in 1954, and already at work arranging the world to her liking, fully aware of how remarkable she is; after all, the Virgin Mary had appeared to Selena while she was picking tomatoes to tell her not to be afraid. Selena even selects an Indian wanderer, Aguilar, for a father (he will marry her widowed mother), and not surprisingly Selena grows up to be a beauty, a queen to her family and the village. Most importantly, however, Selena is confident that she can bring forth what must be a heroic spirit from behind the bland, vulnerable face of Jay-Jay, heir of the Vanduccis, lords of the tomato fields and packing plant. Jay-Jay becomes Selena's lover and promises marriage, but he reneges, bowing to the will of Papa Vanducci, who offers hush money to the ambitious Chicana. Selena accepts (revenge is a sweet possibility), has an abortion, and goes to college--where she receives basic training for the holy war to come. And caught in between Selena and Jay-Jay is friend Del--deserted as a boy by both his Anglo father and Mexican mother and raised by Jay-Jay's lusty mother. As battle lines are drawn, Del, out of jail for robbery, will spin from one side to the other, the convlicts accelerating ferociously when Selena leads a glorious strike against the exploitative Vanduccis and the Anglo power structure closes ranks: what was once a trio of friends--Jay-Jay the land-possessed, Del the dis-possessed (his ancestors once owned Vanducci land), and Selena possessed by her ""transcendence""--now wrestles with bitterness and love. Ultimately, tragically, Aguilar's murder by Papa Vanducci will destroy Selena's spirit; and Jay-Jay will calcify in his father's image. Over-loamy in spots, but rich in regional verities and social commentary--a strong, sad tale about the death of a queenly spirit.

Pub Date: May 21, 1979

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1979

Categories: FICTION