The Boundaries of Their Dwelling

Sanz’s notable debut collection brims with moments of culture shock and of characters negotiating with the tenuous hold on the land they call home. In “¡Hablamos!” best friends Emi and Frieda, both 17, travel from Mexico City to Miami after they win spots on a Spanish-language “Jerry Springer–style” talk show, where they are given cringe-inducing roles. Emi’s meant to be a wayward daughter covered in gang tattoos, and Frieda plays her straitlaced sister who tries to bring her back into the family fold. In “Hurricane Gothic,” which begins in 1964, 18-year-old Ben builds a home for his new wife, Anne, on land he inherits on Louisiana’s Blood River bank. The couple has six children and weather a series of storms until 1999, when half of the house sinks. Ben’s sons pitch in to help rebuild, except for their youngest, Judah, who at 19 is addicted to heroin. In the singular vignette “Oh, but to Be a Hearse,” Hans-Georg, from Munich, visits New Orleans, where he is smitten by the sights, but fears his fiancée back in Germany won’t appreciate hearing about them, prompting him to keep “these oddities to himself, like shaken bottles of beer he knew not to pop open.” Sanz has a keen eye for details, and thankfully he hasn’t kept them bottled up. (Oct.)