The Iguana Tree - Softcover

Stone, Michel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1891885162 ISBN 13: 9781891885167

Publisher: Hub City Press, 2013

Synopsis

Set amid the perils of illegal border crossings, The Iguana Tree is the suspenseful saga of Lilia and Hector, who separately make their way from Mexico into the United States, seeking work in the Carolinas and a home for their infant daughter.

Michel Stone s harrowing novel meticulously examines the obstacles each faces in pursuing a new life: manipulation, rape, and murder in the perilous commerce of border crossings; betrayal by family and friends; exploitation by corrupt officials and rapacious landowners on the U.S. side; and, finally, the inexorable workings of the U.S. justice system.

Hector and Lilia meet Americans willing to help them with legal assistance and offers of responsible employment, but their illegal entry seems certain to prove their undoing. The consequences of their decisions are devastating. In the end, The Iguana Tree is a universal story of loss, grief, and human dignity.

About this title

About the Author:

Originally from Johns Island, SC, Michel Stone is a fiction writer and outdoor enthusiast. She has published more than a dozen stories and essays in journals, magazines, and books. Her work has appeared numerous times in the Raleigh News & Observer's Emerging Southern Writers series. She is a 2011 recipient of the South Carolina Fiction Project Award. She now lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Review:

"Stone manages to deftly address a serious political and humanitarian issue without seeming heavy-handed. Well-written, expertly paced, and timely." --Publisher's Weekly

Stone has done exceptional work in making real the struggles and despair, the resolute discipline and hope, driving the desire to find a better life while also illuminating unexpected connections of near-familial love among people of difference cultures who live and work together. A haunting tale of hope and heartbreak. --Kirkus Reviews

Recipient of the 2011 South Carolina Fiction Project Award, Stone successfully conveys her characters' sense of hopelessness, betrayal, and loss and their struggle to preserve their integrity against all odds. This compassionate yet unsentimental story recalls the works of John Steinbeck and should appeal to readers who enjoy his books. --Library Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Hub City Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1891885162
• ISBN 13: 9781891885167
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 228