I didn't know what to think of this book when I received it from a friend. She had a difficult time with it and wasn't able to make it all the way through. So, approaching with some trepidation, I found myself suddenly surrounded with heartrending imagery from the lonely borderlands of Mexico. The story of a young man in search of something and everything - himself, friendship, love, life, the meaning of life - is powerful and captivating. The difficulties come from the Spanish that is interspersed throughout the book and the unlabeled dialogue. Not only is part of the dialogue incomprehensible because of the language barrier, it's often hard to follow who is speaking. However, the Spanish and the somewhat anonymous dialogue are part of the mystery of this book. Perhaps it doesn't matter who is saying what because the final take-away point is that we are but a speck in the universe and our sorrows cast only shadows.