Borderless

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Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Maya has a passion for trashion, making fashions out of unusual objects. Her talent earned her a scholarship at a prestigious trade school in Guatemala City and a finalist spot in the school's annual fashion show, which could jump-start her career if she wins. Just when things are starting to look up for Maya and her single mother who works hard to keep them afloat financially, Maya finds herself caught up in neighborhood gang violence. Maya's best friend introduces her to Sebastian, a handsome young man who'd been living in the United States but was recently deported. Things seem good between them, but Sebastian's cousin, Oscar, appears to be involved in some shady business and Maya can't be sure that Sebastian isn't in it with him. Then Maya accidentally witnesses Oscar commit a murder. When her mother doesn't show up for the fashion show, Maya fears that something is terribly wrong and arrives home to find her mom being held at gunpoint by Oscar and his gang. They manage to escape, but their only hope of not being killed by the gang is to make a desperate run for the U.S. border. But will they be able to cross and find safety on the other side?

Review

Borderless is a stand-alone contemporary YA novel. Seventeen-year-old Maya lives in a lower-class neighborhood in Guatemala City with her mother. Her passion and talent for trashion earned her a scholarship to a prestigious trade school where she's honing her craft. After being named a finalist in the school's annual fashion show, she starts preparing to vie for the prize money and the chance to show off her designs at a local store, something that could really help her and her mom improve their financial status. However, because of gang activity in her neighborhood, her mother is making plans to move them to San Marcos. Maya is very upset about this, especially since the contest could make or break her future career as a fashion designer. Mama is very adamant that they need to go to be safer, but she agrees to let Maya participate in the show first. As she begins work on the designs that she wants to show, her best friend, Lisbeth, starts dating a hot guy named Oscar who gives Maya bad vibes, but when Oscar's cousin, Sebastian, who was recently deported from the United States, shows an interest in Maya, she's flattered by his attentions. Eventually Maya discovers that Oscar is part of a gang, and wonders if Sebastian might be, too. Sebastian assures her that it's more for protection and that they aren't doing the really bad stuff, and Maya believes him. But when she goes to check on an elderly neighbor one day, she witnesses Oscar murdering the woman's son. Oscar sees Maya but lets her go, after which she's terrified that the gang might come after her. All of her fears are realized when her mother doesn't show up for the fashion show and Maya returns home to find her mother being held at gunpoint. They manage to escape, but knowing that there isn't any place in Guatemala that is safe for them anymore, they make a run for the U. S. border with an old friend who used to be a coyote. Once across, though, Maya and her mother are arrested by Border Patrol officers and separated, at which point difficult decisions must be made in order to secure their future.

Maya is a good girl who has thus far managed to stay out of the gang trouble that plagues their neighborhood. She does get upset with her mom, though, for wanting to move away from the only life she's ever known and from a potentially bright future as a fashion designer. She's very talented and thinks that if she can just win the school's contest, she might be able to make a better life for herself and her mom, so when she's named a finalist, she works hard to perfect her designs for the show. But all her dreams come crashing down when Lisbeth starts dating Oscar and gradually gets mixed up in gang activity. Maya is very flattered by Sebastian romancing her, quickly fancying herself in love with him, which somewhat blinds her to what's really going on. Although Oscar gives her sketchy vibes, Sebastian seems nice, so she naively thinks that whatever gang connection they have isn't so bad. When she finds out otherwise the hard way, she and her mom have to give up everything they own in an attempt to save their lives. With Mama's friend helping them, the trip to the border isn't as bad as it is for many people in similar circumstances, but the crossing itself is extremely difficult, as is the way they're treated by Border Patrol. Ultimately Maya must make some really tough decisions without her mom. Maya is generally a typical teenager, testing boundaries. She may have given her mother a hard time over the move, but when they have no choice but to run, she listens to her. She does allow her head to be turned by Sebastian and engages in a little rebellion in order to see him, but when it counts, she can be mature.

Since this is a YA novel, I'll offer my take on the appropriateness of the content for its target audience. There is a fair bit of language including several f-bombs. As I mentioned, Maya gets very upset with her mother, when she informs her of the plan to move. She says some unkind things and thinks others in her mind, but after witnessing the murder, she finally understands that her mother was only trying to keep them safe. She also rebels against her mother's wishes to see Sebastian. There's mention of Maya's father being killed, as well as a number of mentions of illegal gang activity. Maya sees a man begging for his life before being shot. She also witnesses a woman drowning during the border crossing. Maya's mother is held at gunpoint, leaving her fearful for their lives, and in the aftermath, once they escape. Maya kisses Sebastian, and in one scene, they engage in a heaving petting session, removing some clothes and touching underneath clothes. However, the scene ends with a closed door. I think maybe readers are supposed to extrapolate that they had sex, but IMO, the text is rather ambiguous, possibly leaving it open to interpretation. Taking everything into account, I think, overall, the book is probably suitable for a mature teen audience of about sixteen and up.

Overall, Borderless was a good book, although it didn't play out entirely like I thought it would. The first half, or maybe more, of the story focuses on Maya's life in Guatemala. I suppose this made sense, because it demonstrates all that she had to give up and leave behind in an instant. I'm just not really a fashionista, though, so the parts where she's working on perfecting her clothing designs and participating in the fashion show just didn't hold my attention as well as other parts. I love romance, so I was somewhat engaged in Maya and Sebastian's relationship, but I was always off balance wondering whether he was a good guy or not. The parts about increasing gang activity and violence in Maya's neighborhood were a little more interesting. However, I didn't become super-engaged until Maya and her mom start their run for the border. This, IMO, was the best part of the book, because it shows what many migrants go through in order to make a better life for themselves. It also shows how migrants are often treated when they reach the U.S. border and request asylum. None of this is easy to read but it paints a pretty vivid picture of the dehumanizing conditions in the detention centers and how families are sometimes torn apart in the process. I don't know that this it the type of book that a reader could say that they enjoyed per se, but it is one that was a very worthwhile read. However, it doesn't wrap up in a neat little bow like I prefer, and there's much left unexplored, given that the future is uncertain for Maya and her mom. Borderless might not have been perfect for me, but I think it has a good message that people need to hear that might help to make them more empathetic toward immigrants, and for that reason, I would recommend it.

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Jennifer De Leon