In Morgan Hatch’s GONE TO GROUND, Javier Jimenez has hopes of attending a good college as he approaches the end of his high school career. He has a keen eye for pattern-recognition, financials, and number-crunching after years of taking care of his immigrant family. In contrast, Javier’s younger brother Alex has fallen by the wayside over the last year or so, now in the clutches of an infamous gang in their barrio with intentions of leveling up. While Javier tries desperately to pull his brother from the streets, both their futures become uncertain as a larger complication looms. George Jones, a man who “flips zip codes,” sets his sights on the Horseshoe barrio as his latest “urban renewal” project, and Javier finds himself dragged into a web that gets more and more tangled by the day. As the ground keeps shifting beneath his feet, Javier fights not only to save his family but also the barrio that’s become home.

Sharply observant prose—often delivered with a keen sense of humor or a devastating gut-punch—compels from the start and never once lets go. The turns of phrase enrich both the world building and its huge cast of lively characters. An introduction to one of Javier’s friends declares that “[h]e made a Cheshire smile, revealing two rows of funhouse teeth. An orthodontist could look in Gio’s mouth and see his daughter’s college tuition.” An early description of Javier’s brother quips, “The microwave beeped, and as if on cue, Alex came through the door trailing a microclimate of angst.” The dialogue feels real and often rapid-fire, adding to the realism of the characters and the world they inhabit.

Javier is a captivating protagonist, a teenager approaching the end of high school with the world on his shoulders and a bright future at his feet—if only he can seize it. He’s astute, crafty, and often quick with a well-placed one-liner like an uppercut. The novel is filled to the brim with such magnetic characters from disparate backgrounds: Javier’s cohort of trusty friends in their impoverished barrio, the rich immigrant community that surrounds them in their daily life, Javier’s sharp-witted and tow truck-driving half-sister, his mentor Mr. Patel (a frequent voice of wisdom).

The book offers a wide range of perspectives, jumping from one narrative to another while Javier’s story wends between them. It doesn’t slow down or retract from his story at all, instead adding nuances to the plot as it unravels with precision—often dropping a stunning twist or two.

GONE TO GROUND is deftly crafted, George Jones a cunning and unnervingly quiet villain. His far-reaching network and the resistance that rises to meet him in little waves of non-compliance offer a true-to-life world and a fast-paced plot. It’s also a fantastic display of the human condition: the flaws, the disappointments, the stalwart attitude to survive and endure. There’s also failure in all of its uncomfortable, ugly, unpleasant forms, and what the world, as it continues, might look like after.

At the heart of this is Javier’s rocky relationship with his younger brother, all of these elements echoed between them, surrounding them, mirrored in their dynamic. Javier feels the pain of Alex slipping away from him and into the thrill of drug-related crime that plagues their corner of Los Angeles. If he can’t save his neighborhood from a smarmy real estate mogul, can he at least save his brother?

With both boys haunted by loss and abandonment from their past, Javier is all the more eager to fix things—though he finds himself wanting to escape into the freedom that a college education would offer him. GONE TO GROUND shows how even the most outwardly trustful person can have a hidden agenda; how appearances deceive; how, even within a community, people can betray their roots in their own ascension. But also, and maybe more importantly, it demonstrates how people show up for each other and how precious community is. Javier’s barrio is rich and alive in spite of forced poverty, threats of deportation, homelessness, and the brutal gentrification of their neighborhood. It’s a timely novel in every sense.

The first in a new planned trilogy, GONE TO GROUND weaves a layered and riveting narrative with masterful, concise storytelling.

Morgan Hatch’s GONE TO GROUND is a compelling critique of modern politics, violent gentrification, and the super-rich—all wrapped in a bittersweet coming-of-age story. A fast-paced, deeply engrossing book that’s equal parts emotional, tense, and unafraid to include some jaw-dropping twists.

~Jessica Thomas for IndieReader