Luanne Rice

What a timely book. Rice's latest deals with a woman who, grieving over her daughter's death, takes refuge in California and develops a relationship with the undocumented worker who oversees her relatives' Malibu estate. That worker, Roberto, also lost a daughter. He got separated from 6-year-old Rosa as they tried to make it across the desert from Mexico into America. He believes she's dead, but is she? Rice's writing has only become richer over the years, and her descriptions of crossing the border are strikingly evocative. While the news often covers the legislative and contentious aspects of Mexicans sneaking illegally across the border to try to find a better life, Rice explores the humanity and complexity of the situation.

- KRISTINA DORSEY