Some Rivers End on the Day of the Dead

by Eileen Granfors

Like "Esperanza Rising" and "Rules of Attraction," this coming-of-age novel, "Some Rivers End on The Day of the Dead" follows a Hispanic teen, Marisol. She and her mother are on the run from their home in Tijuana, Mexico. Her father, investigating the drug wars as a journalist, has been murdered. But Marisol's new home is a riverbed camp in a rich California suburb. A wildfire separates Marisol from her mother and her school. Cut off and alone, she challenges herself to find a way to reunite with her family and to celebrate the Day of the Dead in Mexico to honor her father with the proper traditions.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Eileen Granfors lived in Los Angeles, California, and has now retired with husband Patrick to the Missouri Ozarks. A former army brat who was born in New Orleans and lived in Germany, she and her family settled in Imperial Beach, California, where her mother’s love of body surfing turned her into an avid surfer girl.

Eileen is a proud UCLA alumna. After a full career of teaching high school, Eileen retired to the writing life. She has four novels and four anthologies in print.

“Stairs of Sand" is the novel I began ten years ago, and all my other work has filtered around it. The plot of a mother and a daughter, both with borderline personalities, is full of conflicts and learning. radition of the Day of the Dead. She i

The youtube video gives you a good idea of what is going on in the novel.” Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SnDv4...

Her first novel, "Some Rivers End on the Day of the Dead," is a coming-of-age multicultural look at the Hispanic wrote the prequel in 2013, THE PINATA MAKER'S DAUGHTER and is working on its sequel, So You, Solimar. To fulfill a promise to her former students, she wrote a volume of historical fiction, a prequel to Dickens’ "Tale of Two Cities." It is called SYDNEY'S STORY, with a focus on Sydney Carton's young life.

Reviews

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eileen Granfors give us a truly insightful look at the experiences of a 14-year-old Mexican-American girl who is thrust into a world of danger and uncertainty after her father is murdered. But “Some Rivers End on the Day of the Dead” is not a murder mystery. It is keenly crafted literary fiction that shines a bright light on an aspect of life that most of us choose to ignore.

I’m not talking about the Mexican laborers who hang out by the major hardware stores hoping for a day’s wage, although the protagonist, Marisol, lives with them in a camp on the outskirts of L.A. The light that Granfors shines is on the collateral damage to children caused by family members who accept dysfunction rather than deal with problems.

Of particular note is the very believable voice that Granfors gives Marisol. Fourteen is a difficult age under normal circumstances. Marisol’s dialogue, thoughts, assumptions, and actions convey unique cultural traits as well as many characteristics that transcend ethnic differences. In spite of the numerous difficulties that she encounters, Marisol consistently acts and sounds like a 14-year-old who is effectively dealing with stress.

Marisol teaches us about the Mexican traditions regarding the Day of the Dead. Having recently lost her father, she does so in a way that carries an emotional impact, and will make her story memorable for years to come. I highly recommend this novel and look forward to reading more of Eileen Granfors.

RJ McDonnell
Winner of the 2010 Mystery/Thriller Novel of the Year
Rock & Roll Mystery Series
www.rjmcdonnell.com

[Bruce Judisch · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Some Rivers End at the Day of the Dead, Ms. Granfors delivers a unique and convincing perspective on life through the eyes of a coming-of-age Hispanic girl trapped between two identities.

Marisol’s journalist father is dead, an apparent victim of the drug war on the Mexican-American border. In hiding from further danger, his family camps on a dry riverbank in southern California, eking out an existence as migrant workers. Although legally an American citizen, Marisol suffers external pressure from her white peers and the internal angst of a capable adolescent facing an uncertain present and an even less certain future.

One fateful day, a brush fire separates her from her family. She is on her own, albeit with the help of a few friends—some more trustworthy than others—to find her way home. Her goal is to reach her home in Mexico in time to honor her father’s memory on Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Seemingly insurmountable obstacles present themselves during her quest, but the young girl’s tenacity will not be denied. The joy is in the journey.

The author employs the first-person, present tense mode to pull us into Marisol’s world and into her mind. And she does it well. Clever wording—for example, using English idioms nonsensical to a nonnative speaker who is forced to deal with them anyway—lends both humor and pathos to the tale. Ms. Granfors also teaches the reader a lot about Día de los Muertos and its importance to the Mexican culture.

“There are rivers in us all,” her father told her. Marisol’s real quest is to discover where her river leads. Does it truly end at Día de los Muertos, or does it flow beyond?

[Thea Lemaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this is the book that I luckily won from Goodreads.

Not only did I really enjoy the coming of age story about the main character, Marisol, but I read the book quickly and even let a good friend of mine borrow it!

Some Rivers End tells the story of Marisol, a fourteens year old girl who grew up in Mexico, but moves back to the U.S., where she was born. Although Marisol was born in America, she hasn't been there in quite a while, so whilst she is relearning American customs and adjusting to life without her father who was shot, a disaster happens where Marisol is separated from her Mama and uncle! And so she goes on a journey to get back to them where she learns a lot.

Some Rivers End is just a great story all around. The book also happens to be surprisingly funny in some ways, and also very touching.

I'm also glad that of all books I won Some Rivers End on Day of the Dead because the interactions I've had with the author have been really good, and I got a wonderful read. ...... A good read!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

With Marisol, the reader of Some Rivers End on the Day of the Dead is in great company. Her voice is unfailingly fresh, wise and gently humorous as she searches the past and present as well as her soul for a way to make sense of her world after a terrible incident changes the course of the river of her life. The details of Marisol and her journey are unique and honest. The novel's characterization is complex and engaging. The work sings of a pure heart, strong mind and delicious imagination. This is a lovely story. Long live Marisol!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those books that I could not put down. It is a touching story about a young girl struggling to survive under extremely difficult circumstances, but with a gratifying ending. One of my favorite parts of the story was the explanation of El Dia de Los Muertos. I knew very little about the Day of the Dead and discovered that it is a very beautiful custom.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A teenage girl: different, ahamed, homesick, enfatuated, befriended, betrayed, angry, accepted, accepting. Poignantly reminiscent of my relationships with family, friends, teachers, and myself.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm never really sure what to expect from self-published books. I know that a lot of the more, shall we say, erudite and elite goodreaders tend to scorn them as nothing more than self-indulgent, ego-soft toilet paper. Then the authors, on the other hand, tend to rave about self-publishing as such a wonderful indie alternative to having their creativity stifled by an editor who may actually, you know, want to make changes to the book, usually while simultaneously getting in a few jabs or a rant about how flawed and biased the current mainstream publishing industry is. Personally, I think there definitely are a few real gems amongst the current flood of self-published books, but as a reader rather than a writer, I do tend to fall into the camp that can't help but be slightly suspicious of why a book is self-published. Is it for valid consciously-chosen artistic reasons, or simply because there was no other way to see it in print? And then I always immediately feel slightly guilty and dirty for giving thought to those prejudices, because god knows authors already face enough stigma depending on their genre, their gender, their age, their education, and whether or not they ever really worked as a bartender in LA.

So dirty thoughts aside, I mention all of this because our self-published book of the hour, Some Rivers End on the Day of the Dead, falls smack dab in the middle between the two aforementioned extremes of reader snobbery and author indie enthusiasm, and I imagine that this middle ground is where the vast majority of self-published books tend to fall. Some Rivers was a truly beautiful and touching story with a lot of potential, but I didn't find the writing or editing to be up to professional standards. There was definitely a lack of polish, and just an overall distinctly amateur feel to the book. It's hard to pin down exactly what gave the book its amateur community-college-creative-writing-class flavour - I'm not sure whether it was the writing itself or the non-eventful plot. The underlying themes of the novel were gorgeous - coming of age as a WOC, empowerment through heritage, family and friendship - but there just wasn't enough happening plot-wise. When I read the description about "drug wars" and a "wildfire" I pictured a bit more action, but all that really happened was lots of driving around, and a girl going to stay with her teacher during the fire which caused a small mix-up because her mother didn't know where she was staying - not exactly the huge drama it was made out to be, and the supposed danger felt very artificial.

The prose was average for the most part, with a few sections that were quite lovely. It flowed well and there were a few really clever little puns and bits of humour. I loved the theme of Marisol collecting English idioms. It made for lots of entertaining moments and was definitely a very realistic and heartfelt depiction of what any person goes through when learning a new language or living in a new country - you may know all the words, but since language can be largely made up of expressions and slang, you can still be left feeling as an outsider even when you have a perfect dictionary-usage understanding. There were a lot of long run-on sentences, but I am going to assume that they were a stylistic choice to make it sound more like a child talking, rather than just a lack of editing. The characters were a great mix of likeable (Carmen and Becky, Mrs. K, a hilarious alcoholic grandmother) and unlikable (bratty Sylvan, a prodigy date-rapist, racist kids, and a gross uncle). The dialogue was hit-and-miss. When it involved an adult character, it was natural enough, but most of the dialogue with two teens talking was very clunky and awkward. It had that forced, heavy-handed quality of being written by someone who is clearly far from their teenage years, perhaps a bit out of touch with how teens talk, and as such is trying way too hard to sound "authentic" and "cool".

I suppose my main problem with the book that caused me to dock it a couple stars was Marisol's voice. Marisol was likable enough, but I didn't find her to be a very believable character. Her voice fluctuated back and forth between sounding six years younger than she was supposed to be, and sounding like an over-sentimental grandmother. For most of the book, she seemed very young and childish, she read more like an 8 year old child than a 14 year old. Her thoughts were very juvenile and simplistic, not at all developed enough to be the thoughts of a teenager. She needed more rough edges, more angst, more knowledge about people and just much more intelligence and maturity to realistically capture the voice of a teenager rather than sounding like a child. In the sections where she cheesily waxed philosophical about "rivers flowing inside of all of us" and "acceptance for everyone" she sounded far older than 14 - they just weren't the kind of philosophical thoughts I can imagine many teens having. For a girl who grew up hearing about drug wars and living in Tijuana and an immigrant's labour camp with a bunch of men, I would have expected her to have more street-smarts and common sense, less naivety and just be more world-weary. I also found her to be irritatingly preachy. I know I'm generalizing and that there of course are many exceptions, but teens tend to be self-absorbed, wrapped up in their own little worlds, and often lacking self-awareness. In my opinion, even the most saint-like fourteen year olds don't go around constantly thinking how they should be a better person to those around them, how they need to be nicer to their cruel friend Sylvan, how they need to accept everyone for who they are. If there really is a teen so selfless, I'd love to meet them.

Ultimately, I think I had a hard time placing exactly what the ideal audience for this book would be. I think most teens above the age of 13 or so would probably find this book too juvenile and babyish for them. Plus it can be really preachy at times and I think that would turn teen readers off as they tend to not like being preached at or feel as if they're having morals crammed down their throats. I'm not suggesting that all books for contemporary teens need to be filled with relationship drama, sex and drugs, but compared to what's popular in teen fiction right now, Some Days seems very boring. Yet I don't see this book really working for younger audiences either, because there is some mild sexual content and drinking that probably puts the book around 11 or 12 and up, maybe 10+ at the very lowest. Plus, I don't think younger readers would be able to get as much out of the themes of racism and xenophobia, and they would probably have a difficult time understanding all of the Of Mice and Men and Great Expectations references. So as the book stands right now, its audience appeal seems very limited - I can only see ages 11-13 really getting a lot from this book. I think it would make more sense to either make it edgier and a bit more adult so that it could appeal to a wider teen audience, or to simplify it a bit so that it could appeal more to the under 12 audience.


Still, it was a unique, interesting read and I wish Ms. Granfors the very best in her career and future writing!

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marisol is living in the wind with her mother after her father, an investigative journalist, is murdered for his investigation into the drug wars. No matter what though, Marisol knows she still has her mother to hold onto, and as a young teen, that’s what she holds onto as her lifeline. Then, a wildfire strikes, and Marisol is separated from her mother. Desperate and alone, Marisol makes a promise to herself. Not only will she find her mother, but she’ll reunite with the rest of her family on The Day of the Dead, allowing herself and her family to give her father the final rest he deserves in her culture.

I won this book a bit ago, and I’ve seen it around, but never really gave it a second thought. While the cover is very artistic, but it didn’t really jump out at me. However, I received a nice note from the author, Eileen Granfors, who said that her book is often turned down because Marisol, the MC is too innocent. I have a thing for indie books, so I was definitely intrigued to see what agents saw (or didn’t see) in Some Rivers End on the Day of the Dead (which, coincidentally, is a mouthful of a title). Granfors has spun a tale that’s sweet, endearing, and cultural, giving you a taste of Marisol’s life while propelling you on an adventure with her.

I have to say that the prose of Some Rivers End on the Day of the Dead wasn’t really exceptional per se, and I don’t think anything struck me as absolutely remarkable, but it wasn’t a bad book overall. Yes, Marisol was very innocent and sweet, but I think it worked for the context of the story. I also think the major highlight of Some Rivers End on the Day of the Dead were the hints of characterization enmeshed in Marisol’s heritage and culture. It also had a powerful theme of friendship, family, embracing one’s heritage, and coming-of-age, which kept the story moving. I do have to admit though, I felt that Some Rivers End on the Day of the Dead felt a bit unpolished, if you will, and the plot wasn’t exceptionally fast-paced, either, lagging a bit at times.

Overall, Some Rivers End on the Day of the Dead is a sweet book. The themes and underlying values of the book breathe life into it and redeem most of what the book lacks. However, I can’t say that this was my absolutely favourite book, and as contemps are hit or miss with me, this wasn’t a true hit. I give it a 3 out of 5, and I’d recommend it to more of an upper MG/lower YA audience who enjoy contemporary fiction.

[Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, reviewed for MM's by Cynthia

Some Rivers End is a sweet quick read about Marisol’s struggles to get used to the United States life and way of life. After living in Mexico for most of her life Marisol and her mother return to The United States fleeing from what they believe to be drug gangs that killed her father, a journalist that was not afraid to expose the truth behind the drug wars in Mexico.

Poor Marisol’s life gets turned upside down, her mother changes their last name they don’t have a home to live in so they are forced to camp under a tree next to a dried up old river. It seems frightening and shocking just thinking about the situation that Marisol and her mother have to go through. The big change of moving to a new country where they have to learn the American way. Marisol finds it hard fitting in at her new high school, and even though she is fluent in English she can’t quite understand or make sense of the slang language and takes some things a little too personal or offensive.

I really felt sad for Marisol and what she has to go through in this novel, the long journey and struggles to reunite with her mother. I liked that Marisol was good hearted and traditional in her Mexican culture but also very determined to succeed and finding a solution to her problems. There were a few things about the novel that really bothered me and distracted me from getting into the story and liking it more. There were some typos and grammar errors, a few of the sentences in Spanish weren’t written correctly and didn’t make a lot of sense. This might not bother everybody, unless you can read and write Spanish but it definitely distracted me enough that I had to go back over and read some of the parts all over again, I just found it a bit frustrating. The thing is that Marisol is suppose to be fluent in English and also in Spanish, she pretty much lived her whole life in Mexico so reading the things that she says in Spanish and finding big flaws made the story a bit less realistic to me. Some Rivers End of The Day of the Dead was a light-hearted read with a lot of cultural aspects and traditions, and a character full of innocence going through a journey that ends up opening her eyes about the real world and life.

[LAWonder10 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marisol is a Mexican-American citizen but circumstances has forced her to live in poverty. Her peers think she is an illegal immigrant.
She strives to get a good education to honor her father and other family members. She takes this opportunity very seriously. She strives to learn the American words and ways.
After trying circumstances, she is given the opportunity to return to her home in Mexico to celebrate 'The Day of the Dead.' While there she is faced with new conflicts.
I won this book i a giveaway. Normally I would not add it to my library because of a couple of words of profanity but this is a literary jewel.
The profanity is scant and suggestive sexual situations also very limited.
By voiding out the profanity, this is a great book for adult and Young Adult also. It is a great discussion book for Book Clubs.
Thank you to the author and publishers who offer this opportunity to us avid readers.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Some Rivers End on the Day of the Dead," by Eileen Granfors tale about Marisole is a great coming of age story.Just as the river flows where Marisole, her mother, and Unkle live by it bank under the trees so flow the life of Marisole. The bends and twists that occur in her life and with the guidence of the book "Great Expecations," all help Marisola discover her true place dispite being in transition. I truely enjoy Marisole and her insite into life and these she interacts with. I look forward to (hopefully) reading more about Marisole.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. While the overall idea of the book was good, it didn't flow very well. I found Marisol very immature for 14 years old. I do realize she spent several years in Mexico however her voice didn't always ring true.

I enjoyed the family aspect of the story as well as the English language idioms that we take for granted.

I did learn a lot regarding el dia de muerta. This holiday is fascinating and Ms. Granfors did a good job explaining the holiday and the importance of family.

[Kathryn Bundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I liked best about this book was the sensitivity to cultural issues. It would be possible to take this same story and trot out every stereotype of Mexican-Americans, immigrants, and teenagers, but the author avoids short cuts and generalizations. The story moves along well, with believable characters and interesting details about life as a young teen in an unfamiliar culture, and how family and traditions both conflict with and support her growth. Read this book.

[Reeky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humorous and here's an author who describes men without a bunch of stereotypes. I really liked Coach Sneed and even Stan in a way. Puma has just the right amount of predator in him. Tomaso was hilarious in a sad way.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging window into the world of a young teen whose mother is Mexican and whose father is American. Forced to flee her beloved world in Mexico, Marisol ponders her future while longing for her past.

Full review can be viewed at http://librariansquest.blogspot.com

[Maplesyrup · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny book with about a sweet girl with a lot of problems. I had boys, which I am glad of. I liked the book a lot and can't wait for the next ones in this series.

[Judy King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just before this, I read The Pinata-Maker's Daughter -- according to the descriptions on Amazon, it was to be the prequel to this -- even though the author changed the name of the protag...

Now I think I transposed the two...this book is the story of Marisol and her mother when they first arrive in California...Pinata-Maker's is Marisol going off to college. Both are aimed at younger readers -- and this book seems more appropriately scaled to the Junior High age group mentioned in the blurb. There are some nice lessons taught in Some Rivers...and very nice symbolism and tying up of those symbols -- especially the River and the Day of the Dead.

This book has far better plot development, character development and drama -- it really picks up in intensity and drama in that all-important middle and then races to the end while unraveling mysteries and tying up loose ends. I really liked several of the characters -- teachers, parents, etc. nice.

Nice job. Now...for the down side -- there are errors in Spanish and in Day of the Dead lore...and I find that disappointing -- at times articles in Spanish lapse into French...and although I could see the author was trying to keep the Spanish simple to avoid translating it all -- it was not at all the way a Mexican native would speak -- rather it was stumbling and harsh.

[Ashley Clark]

Not sure i would read the rest.

[Kelly Cozy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable! Full review to come soon.