Dusk & Dust

by Esteban Rodríguez

Set along the U.S.-Mexico border, Dusk & Dust introduces the voice of a “boy straddled on the valley of two geographies.” With a keen eye, gentle humor, and great empathy, Esteban Rodríguez’s debut collection explores the lives of the generations who have made their homes in a landscape too often neglected and forgotten. Like the region they portray—relentless, unsympathetic, singed with uncertainty—these poems are marked with a visceral beauty. The aroma of cattle mingles with steaming tamales, and carnival organs play behind telenovelas in this richly conjured and mercurial world. Through the eyes of his luchador mask, with a foot planted firmly on either side of the fence, the young speaker grapples with a host of cultural and familial expectations, a tenuous grasp on his family’s language, and his own burgeoning identity. Funny and poignant, Dusk & Dust lays out a labyrinth of cultural expectations, and, with a voice as clear as it is unique, illuminates a world that seeks to be remembered and lived.

Genres: Poetry

65 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2019

Reviews

[John Molina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book is fantastic. It's a masterclass in form and storytelling. Brilliant and beautiful, raw and tender at once, this collection truly captures the feel of The Rio Grande Valley.

[Zuri · Rating 3 out of 5]

From my failed 2021 Sealey challenge. This is alright, it has a lot of poems that kind of made me queasy on animal farming-stuff (a personal problem, I know). My faves were Christmas, Telenovela, Ventriloquist, and Heifer.

[Charles Mcgregor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how he describes such small moments we would probably overlook with such a big heart. Whether it is reflecting on the dead carcass of a cat, the farming chore of castrating a goat, the stoic men of a barbershop, or the ritual of making tamales, he shows us the universal humanity of these little moments. He truly has a poet's eye to be able to make us feel so strongly for the people, animals, and things he magnifies.