1. What was your initial impression of Luz? Did your opinion change over the course of the novel? Did you feel her choices—especially leaving her daughter behind and returning to Tijuana—were justifiable at the time? Why or why not?
  2. Based on the descriptions in the novel, do you think the methods of the U.S. Border Patrol are effective? Is their mission worthwhile, or is it pointless to try “to hold back the ocean” (16)? Why do people take such enormous risks to try to cross the border illegally?
  3. How did Luz’s relationship with her mother influence the direction her life took? Is there any love left between them? How might their history influence Luz’s plans for raising Isabel?
  4. Luz’s mother told her, “Assume that everyone you meet is a liar, a cheat, a rapist, and a murderer.…And if anyone claims not to be, trust him even less than those who have their crimes tattooed across their foreheads” (30). Given the events in the book, was this good advice? Why or why not?
  5. What do you think of Malone’s way of life when he first meets Luz? Do the events in his past make it more understandable? Did his actions over the course of the novel change your feelings about him? If so, how?
  6. What are the rules of honor in Rolando’s world? Is it strange that he respects a man like Jerónimo, who defies him (64), but has contempt for the cops who cooperate with him (46)? Does Rolando himself abide by this code?
  7. Is Luz’s beauty an asset or a liability? How does it influence the way others respond to her? How might her story have been different if she hadn’t been so beautiful?
  8. Why does Rolando consider Luz “his greatest enemy” (52)? Can a betrayal turn love to hate so quickly? Why or why not?
  9. Do you believe Jerónimo when he tells Irma, “There’s something good in me” (63)? Do you think he can really walk away from being “another man’s monster” after so many years (219)? What about the other flawed characters in the book? Is there good in each of them, or are some beyond redemption?
  10. Why was Thacker so transfixed by Brother Clyde Waters (167–70)? Why does he ultimately become disillusioned? What does this story reveal about his character?
  11. How does the L.A. depicted in this novel differ from Luz’s fantasy of the city that “had been shaped by MTV and gossip magazines” (187)? How does each of the main characters’ paths differ from the life they envisioned for themselves?
  12. Throughout the book, characters make difficult decisions. What do you think of Jerónimo’s choice to go through with Rolando’s mission (85), or Carmen’s choice when Jerónimo and Thacker come to her house (191)? Are these real choices at all, or are the characters’ paths already determined at these moments?
  13. How did you feel about Carmen’s reaction to Luz’s return (201–3)? Does Luz deserve the harsh words Carmen has for her?
  14. What do you think the future holds for Luz? What does it hold for Jerónimo? Do they and the other characters in the book get what they deserve?