BORDERLESS

Danger closes in on a young fashionista.

Maya Silva goes to Salomé Fashion Institute, Guatemala’s most prestigious fashion school. Though she lives in a small house with her mom in a neighborhood where it’s been increasingly dangerous lately, at school Maya can focus only on fashion, which gives her a sense of purpose. And she’s promising, too—talented enough to have a scholarship at age 16 and to rank in the top 10. However, when Lisbeth, her best friend, starts dating Oscar, a guy Maya has a bad feeling about, things become worrying and confusing. Then Maya gets romantically involved with Oscar’s cousin Sebastian. As gang violence closes in, Mama decides they should move back to her hometown, San Marcos, but Maya isn’t ready to give up her life in Guatemala City. They agree to stay put until the fashion show is over as long as Maya focuses exclusively on her preparations. But that is hard; Maya fears she’s losing her dreams for the future. Then she discovers something dark about Oscar that means leaving behind everything she’s known as she and her mother try to flee to the U.S. The book illustrates the violent consequences of structural poverty, as readers are introduced to characters trying to do the best they can with what they’ve been handed. Their desperation is communicated vividly as well as their determination to keep their loved ones safe.

An engrossing exploration of youths and gang violence.