In this large-scale work of historical fiction, author Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez has placed his protagonists, the members of the Salazar family, smack in the middle of two of the most dramatic, yet little-known incidents, in Mexican-American history.

The first incident in the 421 pages involved an all-Hispanic rifle company that lost its colors at the Battle of Rapido River in Italy during WWII. This unit later became the second most highly-decorated fighting outfit in American history; yet it also was victim to the callous actions and overweening ambitions of senior Anglo’s officers.

The second incident deals with a small migrant worker strike that took place in south Texas shortly after the Korean War. For 72 hours, a courageous band of some 250 Mexicans, and a sprinkling of African-Americans and Filipinos held at bay several of the most powerful growers in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas.

The novel by Egret Books covers much ground and time, yet it never loses its focus on the Salazar family. Moreover, the many secondary characters and various sub-plots are compellingly drawn. There isn't a cardboard cut-out or dull stretch in the entire book. Further, given the seriousness of the story, there is a surprising amount of offbeat humor.

There is also a welcome absence of racial stereotypes. Several of the Anglos are decent, caring individuals, while some of the Hispanics are badly flawed. The author deals not in simplistic black and whites, but in the world of grays—which is, of course, where the truth usually resides.

But as with any novel, it is the story that counts, and this one is a beauty: filled with highly-charged scenes, complex characters, inter-family fights, crackling dialogue and large chunks of fascinating history, all of which propel the plot right up to the very last page.

There are, however, a few things that bothered me. For one, the author sometimes imbues his story with such a rate of speed that occasionally the reader yearns for more detail and explanation. Grattan's literary models seem to be Steinbeck's “Of Mice and Men” and Hemingway's “The Old Man and the Sea.” His style leans toward starkness—which if he was telling a simple story might well be the perfect mode.

But here, the author has created several sets of troubled personal relationships, as well as drawn attention to complicated social issues which at times calls for a more detailed approach.

Yet these caveats pale when compared with what is the novel's greatest strength: its intensely visual quality, though given Grattan's film background as a director and screenwriter, this comes as no surprise. This visual quality is part of what makes ‘The Dark Side of the Dream’ an outstanding historical novel—which argues well that it might make an even better movie or TV mini-series.

Long before Grattan-Dominguez turned his hand to writing novels, he achieved prominence by writing, directing and co-producing the first major feature film about Mexican-Americans. His film, “Only Once in a Lifetime,” won the Best Picture Award at the San Antonio (Texas) Film Festival and later was shown at the Kennedy Center -- eventually becoming one of few films chosen to represent the United States at the Deauville Film Festival in France.

Recently, the Disney Studios sponsored a retrospective of Hispanic-oriented movies, and in the program notes this about the picture: “One of the very first films ever in this genre, and today considered a classic.”

The author has lived in Ajijic, Mexico, for the past 25 years and, for the past 18 years, has been the Editor-in-Chief of “El Ojo del Lago,” (Chapala.com) the most-widely read English-language magazine in Mexico.

“The Dark Side of the Dream” is now available on Amazon/Kindle and also in a quality paper-back edition.