Signs Preceding the End of the World

Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't set out to read two poetic, understated novellas about immigrants in America today on purpose, but that seems to be what happened. Signs Preceding the End of the World is both shorter and broader that When the Emperor Was Divine. It sweeps through experience and follows the protagonist, Makina, closely on a journey that is more post-apocalyptic than not.

As a result, there's a satisfying character to come to know, and the reader feels almost immediately invested in her journey. Preservation of self and culture become inextricably linked in the theme of this book. Like Emperor, Signs Preceding the End of the World avois sentiment and relies on thoughtful, poetic prose to evoke emotion.

It's not a feel-good read by any stretch, but this one would be worth one's attention if all it did was take a searing look at what nativism and American Exceptionalism look like in the immigrant experience, but it does so much more than that.

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