Reflective Fiction

Stories that stay with you.

In the Shadow of Light

Challenges and Compassion at the U.S./Mexico Border

Corozón, her mother, and little brother Pico have left Honduras to seek asylum in the U.S. Grandfather Tito and her father Manuel saved the life of Colonel Bill, an American soldier, many years ago. It’s probably part of the reason Corozón’s father was murdered.

They believe they are fleeing to safety, but don’t know about the family separation policy.

While they flee northward, the daughter and friend of the DOJ employee who has become the face of the policy attend a birthday party. But they don’t make it home. Someone wants young Kyra’s father to feel the pain of the separated families.

Thanks to a nighttime photo snapped by a freelancer, Corozón’s terror at having her little brother pried from her resonates with many. A Washington Post reporter joins Colonel Bill to try to find the family.

But the DOJ isn’t helping nearly as much to get young Kyra released. Two families, different circumstances, scary options.

Review: There’s a lot happening here, and Orr gets it done with compact, elegant efficiency. The characters are beautifully developed with not a lot of words…the urgency and the ambiguity of people, events, and actions are made clear with a delicate tough.

In the Shadow of Light, Challenges and Compassion at the US/Mexico Border