Border Crossing

Anderson’s sophomore novel explores one young man’s descent into schizophrenia as he responds to an erratic and arbitrary world filled with a dysfunctional alcoholic mother, a disappearing stepfather, and a best friend with problems as large as his own.

Anderson’s sophomore novel explores one young man’s descent into schizophrenia as he responds to an erratic and arbitrary world filled with a dysfunctional alcoholic mother, a disappearing stepfather, and a best friend with problems as large as his own.

Set in a farming community in Texas where Mexican immigrants seek day labor, Manz struggles with his split identity – Anglo mom, Mexican dad – in a world that doesn’t seem to have room for both. His decline is fueled by the community’s visible racism, Border Patrol operations, and the violence his best friend suffers at the hands of his father.

Though the side characters need to be fleshed out, the novel is a page turner. Anderson manages to be both realistic and compassionate in her depiction of mental illness.