Swim Home to the Vanished

Basham’s ambitious if meandering debut finds inspiration in Navajo creation myths to tell a story of loss and family. Damien, who is Diné and a Colorado-based chef, quits his job six months after the body of his younger brother, Kai, washes ashore on the Pacific Coast, near where he’d been hiking during a storm surge. A dreamlike travel sequence ensues as Damien sets out for the coast. He drives his truck south until it breaks down, then hitchhikes and train-hops across a desert. When he arrives at a small seaside village, he’s entranced by a family of women who run a local eatery. Matriarch Ana María offers Damien a job to replace her daughter, Carla, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Once he accepts, Ana María clouds Damien’s mind with her homemade mescal. Meanwhile, Carla’s sisters, Marta and Paola, share with him their certainty that Ana María was involved in Carla’s murder. Mixed within the narrative are elements of the fantastic, from Damien believing he is turning into a fish to Ana María’s origin story in which she is a lizard. Though the many detours sap momentum, Basham shines in his depictions of Damien’s yearning and catharsis. Despite the shambolic structure, readers will find much to admire in the author’s unique voice. Agent: P.J. Mark, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Aug.)