Beginning ~ with a wait

Beginning

In the parking lot of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, in the cool dusk — which is a lie already, because it is never really cool, not even on this January evening, since this is Texas and, more specifically, this is Galveston — we wait.

The Last Karankawas ~ by Kimberly Garza, 2022, literary fiction (Texas), 288 pages

Welcome to Galveston, Texas, population 50,241.  A popular tourist destination and major shipping port, Galveston attracts millions of visitors each year.  Yet of those who come to drink by the beach, few stray from the boulevards to Fish Village, the neighborhood home to individuals who for generations have powered the island.

Carly Castillo has only ever known Fish Village.  Her grandmother claims that they descend from the Karankawas, an indigenous Texas people once believed to be extinct, thereby tethering them to Galveston.  But as Carly ages, she begins to imagine a life elsewhere, undefined by her family’s history.

Meanwhile, her boyfriend and all-star shortstop turned seaman, Jess, treasures the salty, familiar air.  He’s gotten chances to leave Galveston for bigger cities with more possibilities.  But he didn’t take them then, and he sure as hell won’t now.  When word spreads of a storm gathering strength offshore, building into Hurricane Ike, each Galveston resident must make a difficult decision:  board up the windows and hunker down or flee inland and abandon their hard-won homes.

Moving through these characters’ lives and those of the extraordinary individuals who circle them, this book weaves together a multitude of voices to present a lyrical, emotionally charged portrait of everyday survival.  The result is an unforgettable exploration of familial inheritance, human resilience, and the histories we assign to ourselves, reminding us that the deepest bonds are forged not by blood, but by fire.

ONLINE COMMENT by Mikayla Johnson:

"I finished reading The Last Karankawas this week, and I was dazzled by Garza’s ability to craft chapters that not only serve as moving vignettes for individual lives, but also together complete a narrative arc for Carly Castillo and the community of Galveston as a whole.  In a book that features twelve main characters, spans decades, and intertwines a variety of complex and deeply rooted cultural traditions, her stories–within–a–story novel is no small feat.  

 "Additionally, I was delighted by the 'glossary and guide' found at the back of the book.  Having expected the novel to end on the last page, I started reading the glossary just for kicks, when unexpectedly the definitions wove into an epilogue detailing endings and new beginnings for the characters I had come to love.  As a writer, I will come back to study Garza’s work for her masterful ability with multiple points of view, the intricacies of her delicious prose, and her playful experimentation with form."

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Sharlene from Real Life Reading that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.