BORDERLINE MAGIC by Alexandra Campos A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF FINE ARTS in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Creative Writing) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) April 2020 © Alexandra Campos, 2020 1 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the College of Graduate Studies for acceptance, a thesis/dissertation entitled: Borderline Magic submitted by Alexandra Campos in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing . Anne Fleming Associate Professor, Creative Studies, Creative Writing at UBC Okanagan Supervisor Tania Willard Assistant Professor, Creative Studies, Visual Arts at UBC Okanagan Supervisory Committee Member Michael V. Smith Associate Professor, Creative Studies, Creative Writing at UBC Okanagan Supervisory Committee Member Bernard Schulz-Cruz Associate Professor, Languages and World Literatures, Spanish at UBC Okanagan University Examiner Daniel Keyes Associate Professor, Cultural Studies, English and Cultural Studies, English at UBC Okanagan External Examiner ii Abstract This thesis and novel celebrates Mexican culture, family, and tradition in a fantastical setting while also examining the ways in which first generation Mexican American immigrant children cope with external pressures to identify themselves. Drawing on my own hydridic Mexican and American identity, the novel asks whether or not two separate spheres of identities can merge, and can they allow us to exist in a new liminal space? Set in contemporary Mexico, Borderline Magic uses a magic/non-magic dynamic as a narrative device to look at the nature of identities and how they either dissuade or encourage us find our place among our families and communities. iii Summary Narrated by the young adult character, Lorena Santiago comes from a family of witches, and has seen mostly the dark side of using magic. She vowed to live as normal a life as possible. However, when Lorena learns that the town drug lord Eric Constanzo is kidnapping witches and killing them for their magic, Lorena grows fearful that he may be after her next. Lorena is forced on the run in search of sanctuary, answers as to what happened, and what exactly her mother’s role was in Constanzo’s plan for her hometown of Matamoros, Mexico. Lorena’s search drops her into a life full of magic, betrayal, secrets, and heartbreak. Through her journey to new towns, new friendships and found families, Lorena learns that maGic is inexplicably tied to who she is. Instead of being fearful of it, she utilizes her talents to fight back. iv Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………...iii Summary…………………………………………………………………………iv Table of Contents………………………………………………………………....v Dedication………………………………………………………...……………....vi Chapter 1: Introduction………………….………………………………………1 Chapter 2: Method………………………………………………………………..3 i. Narrative Voice……………………………………………………...3 ii. Magic…………………………………………………………………6 iii. Setting……………………………………………………………….10 Chapter 3: Influences…………………………..………………………………..13 i. Rudolfo Anaya……………………………………………………...13 ii. Elizabeth Acevedo………………………………………………….15 iii. Zoraida Cordova……………………………………………...……16 iv. Sara Borjas…………………………………………………………19 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………..…20 Chapter 4: Borderline Magic, a novel…………………………………………..22 Bibliography…………….…………………..………………..…………………284 v Dedication For my parents. You both have always believed I could conquer the things that scared me most. You were right. For Leo. Thank you for constantly reminding me that the tears and frustration would all be worth it in the end. You were right. vi Chapter 1: Introduction This story started off as an ode to my culture. I grew up in Los Angeles to immigrant parents, immigrated from Mexico and El Salvador, respectively; we got together every weekend at my grandmother’s house to eat tostadas and frijoles and arroz con pollo, where Spanish flew from mouth to mouth even when I couldn’t understand a single word. So I start the novel in much the same way, with Lorena getting herself ready for school, with Spanish words, and with Mom working in the kitchen. This scene felt integral to start with because it establishes Lorena’s sense of normal and is easily accessible to readers who may not be all too comfortable with fantasy stories. As the story progressed, I realized it was mirroring several of my own insecurities as it pertains to my identity. There are chunks of my youth where I wrote about young, white, able- bodied females living in their perfect two story house with an overbearing mother and her easy- going dad who readers never see again after the first two chapters. This protagonist usually goes on a coming-of-age adventure with their white friends and never once thinks about her family, only who they plan to kiss at the end of the story. While my thesis and novel mirrors a journey away from the home, the personality and characteristics I fine-tuned in the Santiago family speak truer to me and my experiences, therefore holding more weight than any story I’ve ever written. In Alicia Elliot’s essay, On Seeing and Being Seen, I realized this erasure of culture wasn’t an exclusive experience for me; many Indigenous peoples deal with this perplexity—are the stories we write worthy of merit? Alicia states she spent years writing out her indigeneity, hoping her work will be critiqued on merit and not on the basis of her identity. Such was my struggle growing up knowing I wanted to be a writer. I didn’t feel that my experiences would be well received, or that my version of a Mexican household would be “Mexican” enough for the community I am writing for. However, social and political climates shifted in the United States 1 in 2016 and suddenly the words filtering across the screens and spoken loudly in supermarkets were demanding anyone with brown skin to “go back to your country.” Animosity towards immigrants increased and their already dangerous fight for a better life got even harder to attain. Children of immigrant parents were put in cages (as detailed in BBC’s article “Why the US is Separating Migrant Children from their Parents”), immigrants seeking asylum were sent back to dangerous conditions left to fend for themselves (as discussed in “Human Rights Watch’s report, Deported to Danger: United States Deportation Policies Expose Salvadorans to Death and Abuse”), and all the while I sat behind a desk writing stories for white readers, devoid of my culture. This new political climate lit a fuse beneath me, igniting a story I felt needed to be told. 2 Chapter 2: Method/Active Choices i. Narrative Voice When crafting this thesis/novel, it was important for me to generate a character voice that speaks to the respect and love I have for my Mexican culture, especially because of the years I spent avoiding it. Perhaps I feel a sense of duty to my culture for the years of neglect I’ve shown it by choosing not to partake in traditions like Dia de los Muertos or Dia de los Reyes Magos— traditions that my family grew up on, and actively choosing to participate in U.S. traditions like The Fourth of July, and ThanksGiving. Regardless, it felt integral to Lorena’s character arch to show her respect for her culture in the midst of external struggles. This is shown through Lorena’s hesitancy to use magic. At the start of the novel, Lorena shows herself not taking altar worship as seriously as her sister and mom would; Caro, Lorena’s sister, tells her that her lack of interest in their altar worship will spark another argument between her and their mom, of which Caro says she would not defend her sister. That exchange paints, what I think, is a very familial problem showcasing a difference in priorities and how that dissonance can create tension within the family unit. Even in Lorena’s disinterest, she still talks about her culture and craft with a sense of respect; this I attempted to emulate in the diction. On page two, as Lorena is showcasing the herbs she bought from a local herbs shop, she talks about the bundle of herbs as the “finest herbs” and appreciates the use of “salt-soaked petals” that add good fortune to her offering. Even as Lorena interacts with the everyday mundane things like cereal, she is “mindful” of the aspects of the family craft that are always around, like the “jar of raven feathers” beside the cereal box, and the spice cabinet where bottles are labeled for ease of use when cooking or creating magical elixirs. 3 On page 66, Lorena’s new companion, Ago, asks Lorena to show her ‘magic’ and I left that question broad because I wanted Lorena to take an opportunity to work out what that means to her. In her monologue during that scene, Lorena says she wishes she could show Ago there is “nature in [her] craft, not just magical powers,” and lists off ways in which her practice functions without powers—using “poppy seed mixed with lemon balm” to cure simple aches and “rose water with black sea salt and carom seeds” fends off stomach pains. The care Lorena takes to point out these natural ways that her craft operates shows a level of respect for the craft, that at this point in the novel shows itself explicitly when it comes to making elixirs or utilizing nature around her. This is why Lorena feels a sense of duty to help save the sick girl that appears in the novel at page 71. Since mixing herbs to create elixirs feels the most natural, or the most safe to Lorena, she feels it is her duty to use that knowledge in a way that benefits others. Having this level of respect for the natural aspects of her craft allows me to emphasize a different side to magic than is typically read about or seen in modern media.