Let Their Spirits Dance: A Novel (2003) - Plot & Excerpts
The story opens in Phoenix Arizona when an elderly Latino mother, Alicia, hears the voice of her son, Jesse, who died nearly 30 years ago in Viet Nam. She is convinced she must make a trip to Washington D.C. to touch his name on the VietNam Memorial Wall. The strength of this mother's vision draws her family into her intention to make the difficult trip. Her other children have all been affected by their brother's death and by the troubles in Alicia's marriage. The story is told from the viewpoint of her daughter Teresa whose estranged, wayward husband seems to mirror the father she grew up knowing. Teresa is not sure about her mother's strong belief in this quest, but eventually a long overdue payment makes the trip possible. Gradually the journey brings to light the festering psychological wounds in the family as well as drawing others along on the journey, both old friends of Jesse's and other strangers who lost family members to the war. Duarte gives a nuanced portrait of a family struggling to come to terms with the past, and provides background woven into the story of the greatly overlooked and unappreciated heroic sacrifices of Chicano soldiers in this long, horrible war. A novel of love, healing, and new life.
I only read this book because my mom gave it to me and it's partly written in a neighborhood in Phoenix that I actually grew up in, so that was really the most interesting part of the whole book! Wish I had something more profound to say on this book, it DID deal with some serious issues- family, death, the Vietnam War and how unfairly Chicanos were treated during that time- but I was kind of young when I read it and had to really push myself to finish it, maybe I'll pick it back up again in the future...
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