Tras las huellas de mi olvido. (After the Footprints of My Oblivion)

Mexican author Camacho's first novel follows Etél on a quest for something she has forgotten. She has the sensation of having misplaced something, of having something on the tip of her tongue, something important that stays just beyond her reach. Her journey takes her through nightmares when she sleeps and into frightening barrios and situations in Mexico City when she's awake. Her world is falling apart: she has grown apart from her boyfriend, her mother is a terrifying termagant, and her stepfather is a spineless, ineffective ally. Narrated in the first person, the novel is a good character study and maintains the reader's interest, although the ending fails to satisfy. Camacho is effective at evoking a dreamlike, menacing urban landscape, and her protagonist is sympathetic in her youthful angst and despair. There are some sexually explicit scenes. This novel will hold special appeal to youth and readers interested in new fiction. A good selection for most bookstores and public libraries; recommended.—Sara Martinez, Hispanic Resource Ctr., Tulsa City-Cty. Lib. Syst. OK