On the Wrong Side

The protagonists of these gritty stories from Nobel Prize winner Le Clézio (Wandering Star) contend with injustice and poverty. “The Wrong Side,” the collection’s character-driven opener, details the coming-of-age of Maureez Samson, a young Mozambican girl who is abused by her stepmother after her fisherman father is lost at sea. She runs away and makes her way to a convent, where she hones the singing abilities that eventually bring her fame. In “A Luminous Path,” an Indigenous brother and sister flee from slavery in Peru for the U.S., where they’re captured by border agents. “La Pichancha” follows a group of undocumented Mexican immigrants in the U.S., depicting their dangerous border crossings (one sneaks through the sewer system) and their ill-fated attempts to evade capture (another, chased by police, “runs through the quiet neighborhoods where people are inside, eyes riveted to their TV screens,” only to be caught and returned to his homeland). Throughout, the characters’ memories of their struggles and sacrifice converge with their persistent dreams of a new life, adding to the stories’ emotional impact. It’s a memorable collection from a master of the form. (Oct.)