Comezon: It's more than an itch. It's a long-standing desire that will never be fulfilled. And, in this novel by award-winning author Denise Chavez, it is also a border town in New Mexico whose denizens' longings are as powerful as they are, all too often, impossible.

But in the feverish dance of life that seizes Comezon during its two annual fiestas, all things seem possible. As the townspeople revel in the freedom of the fiestas, their stories unfold in all manner of mystery, drama, and comic charm. In the middle of it all is Arnulfo P. Olivarez, master of...