The Texicans

Starred review from June 26, 2006
Vida's luminous, dramatic seventh novel finds Joseph Kimmel, a Missouri school teacher, heading to mid-19th-century Texas to claim his recently deceased brother's belongings; he's left for dead when his horse is stolen. Across the plains, after her Texas Ranger husband dies fighting Comanches, Aurelia Ruiz takes refuge at a Comanche camp and adopts their ways. Henry Castro, a Frenchman with dreams of creating an Alsatian-immigrant–populated town in his own name, not only rescues Kimmel but marries him off to Katrin, an unattached white émigré whom a Comanche leader had espied and wanted for his own. The newlyweds head off to create a distinctive ranch, one that welcomes members of the Tonkaway tribe, Mexicans, escaped slaves, free African-Americans and others in distress. Affairs of the heart are never neglected in Vida's novels (Goodbye, Saigon
, etc.), and Kimmel soon finds himself enraptured when he meets the beautiful Aurelia, just as a posse of xenophobic ranchers wreak havoc on the ranch. This radiant work of historical fiction—vibrantly atmospheric and emotionally dense—spans 12 years in the lives of many engaging characters, who come to life on every page.

In the mid-nineteenth century, Joseph, a Polish-born Jew, travels from Missouri to the wilds of Texas. On the way, he reluctantly acquires an Alsatian wife, a Mexican witch and her two children, an escaped slave, and a one-legged former slave and his family. How Joseph and company fare on the lawless frontier over the next dozen years consumes the rest of this absorbing, finely written novel. The author provides plenty of adventure, strong characterizations, and convincing historical detail. Narrator George Guidall gives this book a fittingly unsentimental, understated reading. He knows the text needs no push from him, only clarity and pace, which he expertly delivers. By staying in the background, he lets the writing enjoy the spotlight, as it deserves. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine