The Distance Between Us

In The Distance Between Us, Reyna Grande starts her story in media res. At the very beginning, her mother is already leaving them for a magical place called ‘El Otro Lado- The Other Side.’ This is significant because a good portion of the book is made up of arrivals and departures from El Otro Lado. Reyna’s mother leaving her children is central to the story, because of the hardships the children ultimately face after both parents are gone. As a child, Reyna sees Mexico as a beautiful place of mountains and fruit trees. However, the things they do to sustain their daily lives- drawing water from the well, living with lice, and Reyna and her siblings wearing clothes her parents have sent from EL Otro Lado that are too small- are an indication of the poverty that surrounds her. Much of the book is written from a child’s point of view, but these circumstances give us a picture of the wider world, and the struggle and sorrow of families who are separated by parents who travel great distances to support their children.

Mami's behavior is also a clue of the limited options available to people in this small Mexican town at the time. As a child, Reyna is heartbroken that her mother leaves her repeatedly, and she only knows that she longs for her family to be together. But a close reading of the story allows us to see that her her mother’s often questionable actions could be seen as an opportunity for a better life. In the beginning, her mother leaves to join her father in El Otro Lado so they can both work together for the benefit of the family- even though this turns out to be unsuccessful. Her mother returns to Mexico to live in Abuelita Chinta’s shack and attempts to become a vendor at special events, and that is also unsuccessful- everyone is still living in poverty. When her mother runs off with the wrestler, Reyna is crushed. But from the adult point of view, leaving with a man who has the potential to earn money may be a better opportunity than struggling with Reyna’s grandmother and several small children. When her mother returns, the children want her to live with them again, but she moves in with her sister and resumes working at her old job. The children- particularly Mago, are heartbroken. However, Mami now has money for their living expenses and can even give Mago a graduation celebration- an option that wouldn’t have been possible when they all lived together in Abuelita Chinta’s shack.

As Reyna transforms from a child into an adolescent, her awareness deepens and we are able to see the complex lives of the family. Instead of viewing Mami as completely selfish, we see her marry a much younger man and live with her children in a small room, refusing to learn English or apply for a better job, and understand her fears of being alone and in a strange country. Papi is no longer the savior who rescued his children from Mexico, but a formerly abused child who turns to violence himself when he’s unable to communicate with or control the children. We start to understand the many layers of Reyna’s world, and the circumstances that influence her family’s behaviors. Her story is an excellent example of the way poverty and crisis often lead people to make difficult decisions in the quest for survival.