In his short novella Signs Preceding the End of the World (originally published in Spanish but later published in English), which The Guardian said "From its opening pages... this marvelously rich, slim novel is working on many levels," author Yuri Herrera is telling an exceptionally important story. It tells the revealing story of a young woman named Makina who travels between Mexico and the U.S., navigating their vastly different culture, people, and languages. However, she must first get through the violent world of the U.S.-Mexico border. She goes to the U.S. to search for her brother with messages from her mother and the Mexican underworld in her possession.
The book received very positive reviews at release. On Amazon, the book holds a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars. On book review site Goodreads, the book holds a similarly respectable rating of 3.91 out of 5 stars. Publisher's Weekly wrote a very positive review of the novella, writing: "[These] nine short chapters tell a very straightforward story... But it’s the imagery, by turns moving and nightmarish, that makes this brief book memorable. This is a haunting book that delivers a strange, arresting experience."
