A review by savvylit
Solito by Javier Zamora

challenging emotional reflective

4.75

This entire memoir is told through Zamora's perspective as a nine-year-old child. The covert border crossings that he must make become even more harrowing when viewed through his young eyes. Javier is so often powerless due to his age - he has to trust that the coyotes will do as they say and take him across borders safely. He has to trust the other folks in his group of migrantes to advocate for him. Javier wavers between feeling pure joy at the thought of reuniting with his parents and total exhaustion and fear due to the journey's length and extreme conditions. His youth is evident on every page - his fear of using the toilet alone, his watching a lizard he calls Paula, his naming of dangerous cacti as "fuzzies" or "spikies." It's incredibly devastating to experience Javier's sweet naivete in juxtaposition with the constant danger.

However, Solito is so much more than a harrowing tale of a dangerous journey. It's also a testament to found families and the kindness of others. As the journey progresses, Javier becomes close with a mother and daughter, Patricia & Carla, and their friend Chino. Chino and Patricia end up helping Javier every step of the way as surrogate parents. They make sure that Javier has food and water, they keep him warm, they tie his shoes, they escort him when it's time to bathe so he won't be alone... The love that the four of them develop for one another and the ways that they support each other throughout Solito is spectacular and deeply moving.

Ultimately, Solito is perhaps one of the most gut-wrenching and difficult memoirs that I have ever read. Again, any retelling of a journey even slightly similar to Javier's would be an emotional read. But seeing the world through his nine-year-old eyes is what really makes this story unforgettable.

Content Warnings