All the Crooked Saints

August 7, 2017
In this lushly written tale set in 1962 Colorado, Stiefvater explores the complex and interconnected nature of desires, fears, and miracles via a Mexican-American family known for producing saints. Pilgrims come to the desert of Bicho Raro seeking cures to their woes, but the miracles they receive from the Soria saints are seldom what they expect. One winds up covered in moss, another only able to repeat what is said to her; these miracles are a “two-step process,” and it’s up to the pilgrims to unlock the meanings behind these transformations. When Daniel, the current saint, violates the Sorias’ greatest taboo, his family, including intellectual Beatriz and pirate radio deejay Joaquin, and the pilgrims of Bicho Raro must drive off the darkness that emerges. The language of legend and magical realism suffuse this sprawling and intimate novel; while the book’s tone is all its own and Stiefvater remains a summarily confident wordsmith, the setup, which sees a volatile family wrestling with unpredictable magic and forbidden romances, echoes her Raven Cycle books fairly closely. Dense, tricky, and thought-provoking. Ages 14–up. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary.

Stiefvater's dreamy novel has a huge cast of characters, and narrator Thom Rivera gives each one a distinct voice. In 1962, a disc jockey fleeing fame and a teenage hitchhiker with a hole in his heart arrive in Bicho Raro, a tiny desert town where a family of Mexican-American saints offers miracles to those who need them. Rivera's female voices are not as smooth or natural as his voices for the male characters, but they are clear and distinguishable. His use of a Chicano accent grounds the Soria family's Mexican heritage, and his excellent pacing conveys the emotion in the story's mythic moments. Stiefvater's many fans will find this an engaging and moving listen. E.C. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine