cover image The Tijuana Book of the Dead

The Tijuana Book of the Dead

Luis Alberto Urrea. Counterpoint/Soft Skull (PGW, dist.), $15.95 trade paper (208p) ISBN 978-1-61902-482-3

Urrea (The Devil’s Highway) takes a mystic’s eye to lyrical poems of and about the U.S.-Mexico border. He has an undeniable technical skill and his poems move adroitly through rich images, using physicality to make history (personal, cultural, and national) immediately present. As one poem redolently states, “My sisters brought undocumented scents to sweeten/ the valleys. Their perfume settled on roadsides, misted/ over bloodstain, rattlesnake, bootprint, guard dog, flash/ light.” Likewise, Urrea displays accomplished movement in tight, driving narratives and poems that end with disarmingly succinct and arresting lines. The poet works through both horror and redemptive grit, and while the skill is consistent, the collection as whole would benefit from a trim, as the subject matter that engages at the start feels tired by conclusion. Even so, the book includes many moments of touching insight and poems that readers will rightfully celebrate. One such poem, “The Duck,” ends, “I left him/ to rest/ until/ he too/ rose/ to his own/ impossible/ going”; for moments like that, it’s worth it to keep reading. [em](Mar.) [/em]