THE FLIGHT OF THE DEER

A freelance photographer delves into Mexico’s history and his own ancestral roots in this debut novel.

Ricardo, a 50-something Mexican American,had known Father Reyes during his childhood in Bisbee, Arizona. Now, he’s delivering the recently deceased padre’s personal effects to a woman living in Guadalajara, in order to fulfill Reyes’ request. Unexpectedly, Maria Luisa Castañeda’s conversations with Ricardo turn into rich history lessons, centering on early-20th-century Mexico, a time when revolutionaries led three separate armies against one another. Several of their leaders ultimately became Mexico’s presidents, naming their own successors and igniting a series of bloody battles and assassinations. Ricardo subsequently has encounters with other people, including an elderly man in Sonora who fought in the Mexican Revolution and offers further knowledge about such things as Father Reyes’ relationship with Maria Luisa and Ricardo’s family’s probable link to the revolution. Ricardo also undergoes a process of self-discovery, as his journey makes him feel closer to his Mexican immigrant parents. Veliz’s story boasts a wealth of details on early- to mid-1900s Mexico, related by an engaging cast. Ricardo, however, receives only a modicum of character development; readers don’t even learn that he has a daughter until about three-quarters of the way into the novel. Still, recurring snippets of his storyline breathe life into descriptions of the myriad photographs he sifts through or recalls: “A squadron of airplanes with bicycle thin landing wheels, wooden propellers and single engines wait, on the recently cleared dirt runway, for their orders.” This timely story also brings readers into the modern day, with Mexican immigrants looking for employment in the United States continuing to have trouble crossing the border.

A riveting and enlightening novel of a country’s momentous past.