5 Mexican Reads

Pedro Paramo (1955)

Considered one of the greatest examples of magical realism, Juan Rulfo's fractured novel has been heralded by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Jorge Luis Borges as one of the greatest books of all time.

Like Water for Chocolate (1989)

Laura Esquivel's passion-filled debut novel of star-crossed lovers divided by tradition is known for having one of the most explosive climaxes in literature.

Mornings in Mexico (1927)

One of literature's most revered and reviled luminaries, D. H. Lawrence documented his travels in Mexico with this series of essays that gives a complex, sensuous, and engrossing portrait of the country.

Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club (2012)

Benjamin Alire Saenz's collection of short stories centered around Juarez's Kentucky Club won this year's PEN/Faulkner award, and for good reason. The gay Mexican-American author's tales of love, grief, crime, and the border are as powerful as they are engrossing.

Tula Station (2000)

Straddling the line between fact and fiction, David Toscana's English-language debut functions as a cross section of Mexico's history, the novel's three narratives interlocking to produce a rich, engaging text.