The Border Between Us
“Rudy Ruiz has written the novel of the year. The Border Between Us places Ruiz at eye level with literary masters of cultural hybridity like Gloria Anzaldúa and Sandra Cisneros. As timely in its topics as it is timeless in its themes, Ruiz understands coming-of-age like few others. So rarely can an author dictate the very beating of our heart.”
James Wade, two-time Spur Award–winning author of Hollow Out the Dark
A Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Book Club Selection for March 2025
A finalist for the 2025 International Latino Book Award for the Rudolfo Anaya Best Latino Focused Fiction Book (Engligh)
A finalist for the 2025 International Latino Book Award for Best Audiobook
The Border Between Us is a poignant coming-of-age novel from one of the most exciting voices in fiction.
Ramón López was born along the US-Mexico border but is determined to get out and embrace the American dream-and he's not sure whether his complicated family is a help or a hindrance. As the son of immigrants, as Ramón grows, his admiration for his entrepreneurial father sours as he watches his dad's dreams of success wither on the vine. Ramón's mother is constantly preoccupied with his younger brother, who struggles with intellectual disabilities. And the outside world is rife with danger and temptations threatening to distract Ramón from his dreams of making it to New York and succeeding as an artist.
As dreams clash with reality and values conflict with desires, Ramón finds the American dream within his reach-but will it demand too big a sacrifice?
Award-winning author Rudy Ruiz brilliantly captures the beauty and the danger of border life as Ramón struggles to understand his home and his place in the world. The Border Between Us is a stunning, compassionate story about a son's fraught relationship with his father, the challenges of pursuing a creative life when you come from humble beginnings, and the power of embracing the whole of who you are.
Praise