Mesha Maren

Perpetual West is a quasi-thriller about life on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The novel takes place in 2005 and features two young newlyweds from West Virginia who have enrolled as students at a university in El Paso: Alex, a Mexican adopted as a baby by an American family, and his wife, Elana. Their lives are changed when they meet Mateo, a Mexican wrestler who goes by the name El Vengador del Norte (Avenger of the North); via Mateo’s story line we are introduced to the delirious world of lucha libre in Mexico City, where the sport has been infiltrated by the country’s dangerous criminal mafias.

When Elana flies east for a family emergency, Alex takes off with Mateo to visit Mateo’s hometown of Creel. You see, Alex has fallen in love with Mateo. Then, after Elana returns to El Paso, Alex is nowhere to be found, and she discovers he left his cellphone behind. Following a single clue—an ATM withdrawal from Creel—Elana sets out in search of Alex. Meanwhile, he and Mateo have been kidnapped by the nephew of a narcotraficante, who demands the wrestler compete for him.

Perpetual West is a lyrically written, queer odyssey from Virginia to Mexico. Her characters are well drawn but not wholly endearing. I'm not sure if I found Alex to be empathetic. Nor Mateo. I understand that folks are often not honest with themselves about their true selves. But, I have a hard time caring for a character who cheats on his wife regardless of his identity. Elana's plight, her depression, her anguish over losing Alex is the crux of what drives the novel and what kept me engaged because I found the novel to be too long. It could have been trimmed down to just about 300 pages and the main points of the story would have been altered.

Somewhat unlikable characters and novel length aside, this novel does some interesting things with colonialism, wrestling, kidnapping, and sexual identity. It sheds a light on violence and corruption in Mexico, a problem that the U.S. has in some ways created through our arrogance and insatiable appetite. It is also a novel about identity and what it means to belong. And while the novel ends abruptly, nothing prepares you for the heartbreaking (and frustratingly unresolved) ending.


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With so much happening at the US-Mexico border, Mesha Maren's novel, Perpetual West, brings a fascinating perspective as told through the lens of a young married couple, Alex and Elana, who have moved from West Virginia to El Paso.

Alex was born in Mexico and adopted by a missionary couple from West Virginia. He moved in with Elana and her father and brother, and eventually he married Elana, his best friend. He wanted to go to Mexico to learn more about his heritage, so he and Elana are attending college in El Paso.

They frequently cross the border to Mexico, as Alex wants to study lucha libre, Mexican wrestling, for his thesis. He meets one of the wrestlers, Mateo, and quickly falls in love with him. When Elana goes back to West Virginia to welcome her brother Simon home from drug rehab, Alex and Mateo spend the week together.

Elana doesn't speak Spanish very well, and feels left out when she and Alex go to Juarez. She also has decided to drop out of college and is secretly battling anorexia. Her trip home brings up memories of her mother's death when Elana was just a young child.

When Alex doesn't pick up Elana from the airport, she fears something bad happened to him. The police tell her that Alex probably ran away, and they have so many missing people to look for, he is not a priority.

There is so much in this wonderfully written story. Even though there are many characters in the book, Maren manages to make us care about each of them. Elana, Simon, Mateo, Alex- each one is compassionately portrayed.

Her rendering of the settings- the city of Juarez, the drug cartel head's massive compound, Elana's apartment- are all drawn so you feel like you are right there. You can almost taste the delicious foods from her descriptions as well.

Maren's comparison of what happened to people who worked in the factories that moved from El Paso to Juarez to the miners of West Virginia- "both placed stretched thin, cadavered for their resources and labor and then abandoned, their people rendered subhuman in the national dialogue"- is eye-opening.

I also found her comparison of the migrants crossing into the United States for better opportunities to the people who moved west in the United States intriguing. One group is looked upon as brave frontiersmen forging a new life by opening up borders, the others are derided as "illegal aliens".

Perpetual West gives the reader a lot to ponder in this propulsive novel and there is a lot going on- love, art, violence, political issues, trauma, religion- enough to keep the reader engaged and thinking about this book long after it's over. It's easy to see why so many publications chose it as one of the Most-Anticipated Books of 2022. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Algonquin Books for putting me on Mesha Maren's tour.… (más)

How can a book written in beautiful prose be so repelling? It is the tale of Alex, who was Mexican but adopted by a white American Pentecostal couple, Elena, his young wife of non-observing Jews who deep into a philosophy that encourages anorexia. There is a third character, Marco,later a lover of Alex, who at the beginning of the story is on his way to the top of Lucha Libre, Mexican wreastling that includes good and evil role playjng participent who wear masks.

The only time that I laughed while reading was when a video was seen on the dark web, I laughed because I thought how appropriate!

It you to read a very dark novel that contrasts El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico, has plenty of gritty language. violence, abuse, eating disorders, queer love story, drug cartels and transracial adoption. You can read it of course but be aware that it may scare, shock and depression. It is a page turner but may not leave you with a good feeling.… (más)