The Iguana Tree - by Michel Stone (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Set amid the perils of illegal border crossings, The Iguana Tree is the suspenseful saga of Lilia and Hector, who separately make their way from Mexico into the United States, seeking work in the Carolinas and a home for their infant daughter.

Michel Stone s harrowing novel meticulously examines the obstacles each faces in pursuing a new life: manipulation, rape, and murder in the perilous commerce of border crossings; betrayal by family and friends; exploitation by corrupt officials and rapacious landowners on the U.S. side; and, finally, the inexorable workings of the U.S. justice system.

Hector and Lilia meet Americans willing to help them with legal assistance and offers of responsible employment, but their illegal entry seems certain to prove their undoing. The consequences of their decisions are devastating. In the end, The Iguana Tree is a universal story of loss, grief, and human dignity.

Review Quotes

Michel Stone has written a stirring novel of love and courage under the most daunting of conditions. The Iguana Tree is an impressive debut by a very talented author. -- Ron Rash "author of Serena"

Michel Stone writes with exceptional bravery and grace. She's an incredible writer. I'm a fan for life. -- Judy Goldman "author of Early Leaving and The Slow Way Back"

Stone writes with care and compassion, with close attention to the ambiguities built into U.S. policy toward undocumented workers from south of the border. Her story is powerful, its melancholy truth. -- C. Michael Curtis "senior editor of The Atlantic"

About the Author

Michel Stone's novels are Border Child (Doubleday), The Iguana Tree (Hub City Press), and Fig Days (Regal House Publishing). She is the 11th generation of her family to have lived in Charleston County, South Carolina, and her writing reflects her deep ties to and love of the Lowcountry. She is the winner of the Mary Frances Hobson Prize for Distinguished Achievement in Arts and Letters, the Patricia Winn Award for Southern Literature, and the South Carolina Fiction Award. Michel's novels have been favorably reviewed by The San Francisco Chronicle, The New Yorker, and many places in between. Her first name is pronounced like "Michelle" (people always ask!)