Synopses & Reviews
From Kem Nunn, the National Book Award-nominated author of
Tapping the Source and
The Dogs of Winter, comes an exquisitely written tale of loss and redemption. Nunn renders the dangerous beaches and waters of California's borderland as only the critically acclaimed poet laureate of surf noir can, and
Tijuana Straits confirms his reputation as a master of suspense and a novelist of the first rank.
When Fahey, once a great surfer, now a reclusive ex-con, meets Magdalena, she is running from a pack of wild dogs along the ragged wasteland where California and Mexico meet the Pacific Ocean -- a spot once known to the men who rode its giant waves as the Tijuana Straits. Magdalena has barely survived an attack that forced her to flee Tijuana, and Fahey takes her in. That he is willing to do so runs contrary to his every instinct, for Fahey is done with the world, seeking little more than solitude from this all-but-forgotten corner of the Golden State. Nor is Fahey a stranger to the lawless ways of the border. He worries that in sheltering this woman he may not only be inviting further entanglements but may be placing them both at risk. In this, he is not wrong.
An environmental activist, Magdalena has become engaged in the struggle for the health and rights of the thousands of peasants streaming from Mexico's enervated heartland to work in the maquilladoras -- the foreign-owned factories that line her country's border, polluting its air and fouling its rivers. It is a risky contest. Danger can come from many directions, from government officials paid to preserve the status quo to thugs hired to intimidate reformers.
As Magdalena and Fahey become closer, Magdalena tries to discover who is out to get her, attempting to reconstruct the events that delivered her, battered and confused, into Fahey's strange yet oddly seductive world. She examines every lead, never guessing the truth. For into this no-man's-land between two countries comes a trio of killers led by Armando Santoya, a man beset by personal tragedy, an aberration born of the very conditions Magdalena has dedicated her life to fight against, yet who in the throes of his own drug-fueled confusions has marked her for death. And so will Fahey be put to the test, in a final duel on the beaches of his Tijuana Straits.
Review
"Kem Nunn...is a fine stylist who knows a great deal not only about surfing but also about life along the border....If there is a literature of surfing, Tijuana Straits is surely one of its classics." Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post
Review
"Nunn is one of the most interesting writers working the coast, and Tijuana Straits is a dark, troubling ride. If you surrender to it, it will carry you deep into the night." The San Diego Union-Tribune
Review
"[T]here's no denying [Nunn's] talent, and it comes shining through in the novel's best passages....This one...is for Nunn's devoted inner circle of fans..." Booklist
Review
"Uneven: the violence is tainted by lurid excess, but the relationship between Sam and Magdalena is quite touching and not overdone." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[Nunn's] characters may be in dire straits, but his readers are comfortable in the hands of an exciting novelist working with fascinating material." The Oregonian (Portland, OR)
Review
"A compelling little crucible of evil and nascent love, succeeding on the strength of its characters, the velocity of the plot, its location on la frontera and the terrific surfing back story." Los Angeles Times
Synopsis
From National Book Award-nominated Kem Nunn comes an exquisitely written tale of loss and redemption along California's untamed borderland, confirming his reputation as a master of suspense and a novelist of the first rank.
When Fahey, once a great surfer, now a reclusive ex-con, meets Magdalena, she is running from a pack of wild dogs along the ragged wasteland where California and Mexico meet the Pacific Ocean a spot once known to the men who rode its giant waves as the Tijuana Straits. Magdalena has barely survived an attack on her life and Fahey, against his every instinct, takes her in.
An environmental activist, Magdalena is engaged in the struggle for the rights of the thousands of peasants streaming from Mexico's impoverished heartland to work in the maquilladoras the foreign-owned factories that line her country's border, polluting its air and fouling its rivers. She is passionate about her work, and perhaps has taken too many risks with her own safety.
As Magdalena attempts to reconstruct the events that delivered her, battered and confused, into Fahey's strange yet oddly seductive world, she examines every lead, never guessing the truth about the man who has marked her for death. Armando Santoya, beset by personal tragedy, an aberration born of the very conditions Magdalena has dedicated her life to fight against, is leading a trio of killers on a drug-fueled mission to end her life and that of Fahey, her new protector, confidant, and friend in a final duel on the beaches of the Tijuana Straits.
Synopsis
From the National Book Award-nominated author of Tapping the Source comes a potent suspense novel that pits a beautiful young Mexican woman and an aging American surfer against three vicious killers out for revenge.
Synopsis
From National Book Award-nominated Kem Nunn comes an exquisitely written tale of loss and redemption along California's untamed borderland, confirming his reputation as a master of suspense and a novelist of the first rank. When Fahey, once a great surfer, now a reclusive ex-con, meets Magdalena, she is running from a pack of wild dogs along the ragged wasteland where California and Mexico meet the Pacific Ocean -- a spot once known to the men who rode its giant waves as the Tijuana Straits. Magdalena has barely survived an attack on her life and Fahey, against his every instinct, takes her in.
An environmental activist, Magdalena is engaged in the struggle for the rights of the thousands of peasants streaming from Mexico's impoverished heartland to work in the maquilladoras -- the foreign-owned factories that line her country's border, polluting its air and fouling its rivers. She is passionate about her work, and perhaps has taken too many risks with her own safety.
As Magdalena attempts to reconstruct the events that delivered her, battered and confused, into Fahey's strange yet oddly seductive world, she examines every lead, never guessing the truth about the man who has marked her for death. Armando Santoya, beset by personal tragedy, an aberration born of the very conditions Magdalena has dedicated her life to fight against, is leading a trio of killers on a drug-fueled mission to end her life -- and that of Fahey, her new protector, confidant, and friend -- in a final duel on the beaches of the Tijuana Straits.
About the Author
Kem Nunn is a third-generation Californian whose previous novels include Pomona Queen, Unassigned Territory, and Tapping the Source, which was one of three National Book Award Best First Fiction finalists. A graduate of the University of California at Irvine, Mr. Nunn lives in Northern California.