A Crucifixion in Mexico [Hardcover]

Kathleen Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1999

In the early 1970s, three American students living in Mexico witness the crucifixion and death of a man in a Mexican village at Easter. The man was not supposed to die. At first there is no explanation for his death. Then the villagers turn on the Americans, forcing them to find sanctuary in a small church. "A Crucifixion in Mexico" is about what happened to two of the Americans in the years that followed. Gloria is a wanderer. A failure by contemporary standards, when she was twenty she did not think in terms of marriage or children or success. She thought she would travel, enjoy her life. Now she is filled with self-doubt. Andrew, on the other hand, is a success, moving comfortably from one compromise to another, conforming his way to safety. "A Crucifixion in Mexico" deals with politics, racism, religion and the end of the ideals of the "boomer" generation.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gloria is an angst-ridden baby boomer living from paycheck to paycheck, whose story revolves around one chilling event in her past: 20 years ago, on a trip to Mexico as an artless college student searching for love and adventure, Gloria and a group of friends witnessed a symbolic crucifixion that ended in tragedy. Andrew, one of those friends, explores his unresolved feelings for Gloria in retrospect. Walker's novel alternates between these two narrators, who are still part of each other's lives, in part because of the sexual tension between them, but also because the violent scene in Mexico has essentially bound them together. The crucifixion is not meant to kill the participant; the man on the cross is voluntarily suffering in thanks for his daughter's miraculous healing. When he does die almost as soon as the cross is raised, the crowd feels cheated and apparently takes out its anger on the Anglo students, who take refuge in a church and, when the mob scene is over, resume their carefree lives. Describing how Gloria, Andrew and their friends deal with the long-term effects of the experience is ostensibly the objective of this loosely constructed, plain-spoken book; however, its real theme seems to be how the aimlessness of American youth generates the uncertain texture of American middle age. The novel also struggles to address the American class system, racial issues and the boomer generation from Gloria's and Andrew's standpoints. Both characters speak in jaded, lackluster monologues that are perhaps meant to reflect their disappointment in themselves and the world. The crucifixion is clearly posed as Andrew and Gloria's defining moment, but Walker is unpersuasive in presenting this event, and its powerful potential falters.

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In the early 1970s, three American college students witness the death by crucifixion of a Mexican villager. The man, who had been participating in a religious, penitential re-creation of the crucifixion of Jesus, was not supposed to die. Twenty-five years later, in dual narratives, Gloria and Andrew explore that event and their lives since. Gloria, a liberal free spirit now in her late forties, continues to be a wanderer, while Andrew has fulfilled his version of a conservative Republican American dream. They have seen each other only occasionally since the crucifixion but continue to fixate on it and on each other. This first novel reflects on a generation's views of religion, politics, and racism, as well as denial and fear of aging. It plods occasionally, but the concept and subject matter are fascinating. Recommended for larger public libraries.?Mary Margaret Benson, Linfield Coll. Lib., McMinnville, OR
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Black Heron Press; 1St Edition edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0930773527
• ISBN-13: 978-0930773526
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,525,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been writing about the American Southwest and Mexico for decades. I've told the stories, met the characters, and there have been plenty, and loved every inch of this tough land. My home is Tucson,Arizona.

I did my undergraduate work in Latin American History at the Universidad de las Americas in Mexico City and my graduate work with the Jesuits at Fairfield University in Connecticut.

My first book, A Crucifixion in Mexico, is a novel about just that, the crucifixion of a man in Mexico and the three Americans who witnessed the event. My next two books, San Xavier - The Spirit Endures and San Juan Capistrano - A Place of Peace, were published by the venerable Arizona Highways book division. My latest,Desert Mornings - Coffee, Cactus & Chaos, is a collection of essays and laughs.

I love the sun, Mexico, people who have a streak of trouble in their souls, and most four-legged creatures. I wouldn't change a thing...well...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I dragged eight books to the beach; this is the one I read., April 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Crucifixion in Mexico (Hardcover)

The characters in "Crucifixion" share an experience that changes, in ways great or small, their lives forever. The book reminds me of a 60's, hippie-ish, Vietnam era "The Sun Also Rises." We meet the two main characters when they're young, relatively innocent, and living in Mexico, and meet them again fifteen or so years later. Everyone who was in his twenties during that time period will see himself in at least one of the characters.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great New Writer, July 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Crucifixion in Mexico (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book because the characters were so alive and we all know theses people. Walker puts the reader in Mexico and the southwest in the 1960s and the result is a wonderfully new book from a terrific new writer. A must read if you ever had a notion of cashing it all in and moving to Mexico. Can't wait for her next book.