The Guardians: A Novel

From American Book Award-winning author Ana Castillo comes a suspenseful, moving novel about a sensuous, smart, and fiercely independent woman. Eking out a living as a teacher€s aide in a small New Mexican border town, T­a Regina is also raising her teenage nephew, Gabo, a hardworking boy who has entered the country illegally and aspires to the priesthood. When Gabo€s father, Rafa, disappears while crossing over from Mexico, Regina fears the worst.

After several days of waiting and with an ominous phone call from a woman who may be connected to a smuggling ring, Regina and Gabo resolve to find Rafa. Help arrives in the form of Miguel, an amorous, recently divorced history teacher; Miguel€s gregarious abuelo Milton; a couple of Gabo€s gangbanger classmates; and a priest of wayward faith. Though their journey is rife with challenges and danger, it will serve as a remarkable testament to family bonds, cultural pride, and the human experience

Praise for The Guardians

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

€œAn always skilled storyteller, [Castillo] grounds her writing in . . . humor, love, suspense and heartache€“that draw the reader in.€
€“Chicago Sunday Sun-Times

€œA rollicking read, with jokes and suspense and joy rides and hearts breaking . . . This smart, passionate novel deserves a wide audience.€
€“Los Angeles Times

€œWhat drives the novel is its chorus of characters, all, in their own way, witnesses and guardian angels. In the end, Castillo€s unmistakable voice€“earthy, impassioned, weaving a €˜hybrid vocabulary for a hybrid people€€“is the book€s greatest revelation.€
€“Time Out New York

€œA wonderful novel . . . Castillo€s most important accomplishment in The Guardians is to give a unique literary voice to questions about what makes up a €˜family.€ €
€“El Paso Times

€œA moving book that is both intimate and epic in its narrative.€
€“Oscar Hijuelos, author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love