On the Plain of Snakes review

Recently, I read Paul Theroux’s travel book called On the Plain of Snakes. In it, he traveled along the border of the United States and Mexico, and interacted with people he met along the way. After exploring the interesting towns on both sides of that long border, he then headed deeper into the richly diverse country of Mexico. This is our On the Plain of Snakes review and book banter.

UNDERSTAND THE AUTHOR:

Before I start with my review, I should confess that Paul Theroux is one of my favorite authors. Not only does he have that rare ability to insightfully express himself with well-chosen words and phrases as he writes, but he is also an excellent observer.

In addition, Theroux is, above all, an honest observer and reporter. For instance, he has demonstrated his honesty and ability to keep an open mind while he enjoyed diverse experiences in his Deep South (read my review) travels. Throughout that book, I was surprised at how well he interacted with people who might have made me feel uncomfortable.

During that book, he was respectful of all people, all their religious beliefs, and all their diverse political beliefs. However, just because he was a respectful observer does not mean he held back on sharing his own views. After all, that’s his right as an American citizen, too!

It’s obvious that Theroux shares his views, and doesn’t care whether his readers will be upset. That’s the characteristic that I most love about this author’s books.

Plus, he is an excellent writer. In fact, he is one of the best, most fascinating writers in the world. Sorry for the hyperbole, but it’s literally true!

So, with all that preliminary stuff out of the way, here is my On the Plain of Snakes review. I was especially interested in reading this book because I used to live in Las Cruces, New Mexico, which he briefly mentioned in the book.

In addition, he wrote a little bit about El Paso, Texas, which is right on the border of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. I love that area of the southwestern United States so much. The Franklin Mountains are ruggedly picturesque, and the people are so friendly.

I just wish the author would have explored and written more about both sides of the Juarez/El Paso border. From the many stories I heard and learned about while I lived there, that region of the Chihuahuan Desert could have made up an interesting travelogue all by itself.

Plus, I wish he would have spent more time and shared more of his thoughts about Las Cruces and the charming old town of Mesilla, NM, where the author had lunch during his trip. I used to live in an neighborhood of Las Cruces that was just outside of Mesilla. And, I’m sure the adventures he could have had while there also would have made a great travel book, all by itself.

Based on this short review, you might sense that I was a little disappointed. Overall, the book wasn’t as in-depth as his other travel books have been.

There were some moments where he captured the local, ordinary, day-to-day life, and those moments were enlightening. I just wish there had been more of those magical, Theroux type-of-observations that I had come to expect as a loyal and eager reader.

Plus, I feel that he shortchanged the Las Cruces, Mesilla, and El Paso towns. That area alone has some interesting tales to tell, and places to visit. Those sights could easily have filled up a travelogue, and could have contained compelling stores about the people who live and work there.

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THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK

Instead, the author spent way too much time interacting with his fellow writers who he met in Mexico City. They seemed to have lots of discretionary time, as well as discretionary money-to-spend.

Because of that group’s affluence, it seemed they were not able to empathize with the typical citizen of Mexico City. They didn’t have the same daily concerns of survival that many Mexican citizens, and many citizens from around the world, have experienced.

They had money, and for them, life in Mexico was not a more typical struggle that other citizens might encounter. For them, every day seemed to be a leisurely party.

In other words, I think he spent too much time with people who led a sheltered life. And, based on Theroux’s other books, that’s not typical. Usually, the author gets into many uncomfortable, sometimes dangerous situations while meeting diverse, out-of-the-way people.

Many times, I would be too cautious or afraid to interact with those people, so I depend on the author to allow me to vicariously share in his diverse adventures.

One thing I really love about Theroux’s other travel books is that he quotes writers who had previously traveled to or lived in the regions. Those quotes really added a unique background to his own experiences and observations.

However, in On the Plain of Snakes, the author used that technique so much that it detracted from his observations about the daily lives of people he encountered. At times, his literary references and quotes took up too much space and seemed irrelevant.

Even though I’m familiar with much of the geography of Mexico, it would have helped me if the author had included maps of his travels. They could have been simple, black-and-white line drawings.

But there were no maps, and sometimes I struggled to figure out where the town he was talking about was located.

Despite my criticisms, there were many things I liked about this book.

THINGS I LOVED ABOUT THIS BOOK

The author included excellent color photographs. Some were taken by his writer friends who he had met in Mexico. Other photos were taken by Steve McCurry, who I think accompanied Theroux on part of his journey.

At any rate, the photos were an excellent addition to this book.

Before Theroux started his journey, he described himself to readers as an ‘old gringo’ who might have been judged as being ‘past my best’, at least where he comes from. But in Mexico, the author observed that older people are held in high esteem. People from Mexico revere their elders for their valuable experiences and judgment.

On the other hand, our society in the United States denigrates and disregards older people. There, the value of seniors has depreciated over the years, just like a used car.

When I had lived in Las Cruces, NM, I used to go to the Sunland Park horse racing track, which is just north and on the tip of the Texas and Mexico border. There, I saw many young Hispanic people helping their elderly grandparents climb the steps as other people busily jostled around them.

I was touched and amazed with the compassion and respect they showed their elders. And those were the same people who were being called disparaging names by our own ignorant politicians, right here in the United States—that is shameful.

Fortunately, Theroux, throughout his compassionate writings, has helped his readers see how people in Mexico are mostly good, just like people all around the world.

Just like in his book, Deep South, the author admitted to being afraid at times. His honesty really enhanced the stories he had to tell in this book.

Despite being afraid, sometimes of the police, sometimes of the drug cartels, and sometimes just of the unknown, the author went ahead any. Because of his bravery, he discovered aspects of Mexican society that most travelers would never discover on their own.

Here is only one example from the book of how the author puts himself into dangerous, life-threatening situations. Notice the author’s beautifully evocative and descriptive language:

“… I had vertigo and a fearsome illusion of slippage on many of the curves where, at the edge, the sheer drop was half a mile into a canyon, and what seemed like villages or people or goats at the bottom were nothing more than a twinkling mirage.”

—On the Plain of Snakes, To the Isthmus: Juchitán, page 352, first paragraph

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FINAL VERDICT:

As a previous reader of Theroux’s travel books, I had high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, On the Plain of Snakes let me down, but only a little.

Despite being disappointed, though, I still recommend you read this book. The author was able to make magical connections with people in their diverse, beautiful, but sometimes forbidding little world.

For me, I would never be able to experience those interactions myself. Either I’d be too afraid of the danger, or I’d be too socially awkward to really connect with people from different cultures.

As in all of his wonderfully researched books, the author demonstrates a unique gift to interact with people in their own, specialized world. In fact, he was astute enough to document aspects of the people of Mexico that other travel writers might have completely overlooked or avoided (maybe because of the danger).

If you read this book, I believe you will not be wasting your time. You will learn a lot about the people of Mexico, the country’s geography, along with its fascinating history. On the Plain of Snakes is another must-read book from Paul Theroux.

Thank you for reading our On the Plain of Snakes review! If you’ve read this book, or have visited the region, please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!

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Content and Photos by Doug Martin and Our Book Banter