Under The Bridge: Stories from the Border? Bajo el puente

Sanmiguel, Rosario. tr. from the Spanish by John Pluecker. U.S.: Arte Público Press. 2008. 232p. ISBN 978-1-55885-514-4. pap. $14.95. FICTION In this bilingual volume, Sanmiguel collects stories told by women from different backgrounds and ages whose lives have been marked by hardships: troubled relationships, low-paying jobs, underprivileged backgrounds, poor and dangerous housing arrangements, and illegal border crossings. Yet, despite all the obstacles, they were able to prevail and survive. Many interesting characters inhabit these stories: China and Morra, two older women who live in and manage a brothel; Francis, who is trying to escape her troubled love affair with Alberto, who for years has chosen his wife over her; Mónica, who ends up abandoned by her boyfriend in the middle of Rio Grande and is left to cross the border alone.