Signs Preceding the End of the World

I'm reminded of The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld. A gripping story told with all the trappings of a fairy tale. It's a hero's journey with shades of myth. Crossing the river, descending underground. While it's clear Makina is coming to the US from Mexico it's never made explicit. She instead walks to the place where the hills meet, takes a bus to the place where the wind cuts like a knife - she's indistinctly placed and that lack of naming carries with it a dreamlike state.

The translation is beautifully done and translator Lisa Dillman offers a look at her process involving frequent collaboration with the author himself and the difficulty in nailing down certain pieces of slang used throughout. A slight 100 or so pages, I actually wished it was longer so that I could linger for a while longer in this world.