Author: T. Coraghessan Boyle
First, a brief summary from the publisher to center everyone in the work: "Topanga Canyon is home to two couples on a collision course. Los Angeles liberals Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher lead an ordered sushi-and-recycling existence in a newly gated hilltop community: he a sensitive nature writer, she an obsessive realtor. Mexican illegals Candido and America Rincon desperately cling to their vision of the American Dream as they fight off starvation in a makeshift camps deep in the ravine. And from the moment a freak accident brings Candido and Delaney into intimate contact, these four and their opposing worlds gradually intersect in what becomes a tragicomedy of error and misunderstanding."
First published in 1995, this book was our choice because of the timeliness of the subject matter. Some 22 years after this book was written, we are still facing the same unbearable choices.
The run-up to discussion
With a good crowd -- Lois, Steve, Margy, Vicky, Shirley, Linda, Liz and Gail -- we started by doing what you'd expect: all talking at once. Steve accompanied on the piano, displaying yet another of his many talents. Once we'd reassured ourselves that Vicky's Florida home had survived the hurricane, we got down to the serious business of agreeing and disagreeing with each other.Insights and Opinions
+ In the interest of full disclosure, two of us hadn't read the book at all. Both Margy and Lois had a hard time getting into the book. Linda tried three times before she was able to make it all the way through, but was careful to point out that, by the time she'd reached the halfway mark, she couldn't put it down. Steve had no trouble diving in and finishing, but couldn't sleep easily afterward. And, his ultimate opinion was that he admires the book very much.
+ Time and again in the novel, however, it is hinted at that the real perpetrators can be found inside rather than outside the projected wall: well-to-do people insensitive to the plight of the have-nots."
And, thank you, Wikipedia, for this apt observation. Many in our group felt this theme -- how the writer treats his "Los Angeles liberals" -- is less of a hint and more of a bludgeon. In Margy's opinion, Boyle looks down on this couple throughout. Lois stated that they "annoyed the hell out of me. I don't expect to like every character in a book, but I do expect them to have some redeeming qualities." In Shirley's view, Boyle treats these characters with contempt, which diminishes the power of the narrative.
+ Gail asked this question: "Are we all as thinly committed as they are? I had the sense that everything they did was about appearances." All agreed that Boyle does a masterful job of making white, middle-class to affluent people cringe. And the question becomes, what is a white liberal to do in a situation like this?
+ Jocey, who wasn't able to attend but sent her notes, ranks this book as one of her all-time favorites. She writes: "Tortilla Curtain was one of those books that made me uncomfortable as a white liberal, which is why I loved it so much. It still haunts me -- the opening with the self-satisfied white liberal environmentalist suddenly having to confront his own hypocrisy. His beloved forest preserve is a refuge to desperate Latinos. It is easy to be incensed liberals in the comfort of our own homes, but what happens when some of our ideals get in the way of our nice lifestyles? All of TC Boyle's books drive me crazy. I sort of hate them, but I can't stop thinking about them. I love being a lefty when it's easy, but what if all of those African refugees I feel sorry for moved into my neighborhood...? Tortilla Curtain made me uncomfortable and think about my values from a variety of perspectives. What's not to love?"
+ Linda agreed with some of Jocey's comments, pointing out that it's easy to be a liberal until someone is camping out in your backyard.
+ Margy felt, while reading, that she was being manipulated by the author -- that the cliffhangers at the end of each chapter had become formulaic -- that the flood at the end was too pat, too contrived.
+ To Steve, the best writing takes place in the immigrants' story and Lois proposed that this is because the non-immigrant characters are caricatures whereas the immigrant characters ring true.
+ To Vicky, TC Boyle is an over-the-top writer. "The things he writes are intense and cutting. I don't think he wants you to take it as reality. He exaggerates, kind of like George Sanders, but not like George Sanders, who has a big heart. I think we need voices like this, but I don't want to spend a lot of time with him."
Other Things to Ponder
At the close of every session, we share ideas on what to read and what we have been reading. Here are a few of the group's book suggestions, should you be looking for something new to read.- Never Coming Back, by Allison McGhee
- Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking, by Anya Von Bremzen (a memoir)
- The Nix, by Nathan Hill
- Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History, by Katy Tur
- Thank You for Being Late, by Thomas Friedman
- The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories, by Penelope Lively
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