BRANDED

Hearn’s historical novel chronicles conflict in California under Mexican rule.

It is 1846 in Alta, California. Guillermo Foxen, age 13, is out rounding up loose cattle when he comes across a troubling sight: American troops intruding on the Foxen family’s land, known as Rancho Tinaquaic. Guillermo quickly informs his father, Benjamin, who is originally from England and now goes by the name Don Julian. Don Julian thinks the best option is to help the Americans, and he and Guillermo set out to assist the military as they take back “the pueblos of Santa Barbara and Los Angeles from the Mexican rebels.” The decision is risky; if the Foxens are spotted helping Yankee scouts, they could be charged by Mexican officials with treason. (Not everyone in the area feels the U.S. troops are liberating the locals “from a neglectful Mexico.”) The journey itself is full of perils in this wild country; however, it is after Guillermo and Don Julian’s time on the trail that the real trouble begins. About halfway through the story, a treaty puts a hold on the official conflict—one hopeful character states, “Now life can return to normal,” but the real action is yet to come. While that action takes the narrative in new directions, the author is prone to scripting dull conversations: Characters often articulate what is already clear to the reader (and other characters), such as, “The Americano takeover has been a bitter pill for many of the paisanos, especially the old-timers.” The text comes alive when Hearn details the many dangers of life in 19th century California (Don Julian tells the tale of someone who died of blood poisoning after breaking their leg). The book also sheds light on a piece of California history that is not well known—Rancho Tinaquaic was a real place, and many of the main characters actually existed. The author effectively evokes their dangerous struggles.

A studied look at an oft-overlooked time period and the complex people who lived it.