For those of you who have been reading my blog within the last year, you know that my newest favourite short story author is T. C. Boyle. I thought it only fair to read a novel to compare with his longer writing.
Candido and America are illegal immigrants living in the outer jungle of Los Angeles California. They came here to make a better life for themselves and their unborn child. They don’t have high aspirations. They want a job that will put food in their bellies and a proper roof over their heads.
Delaney and Kyra live with their son within a gated community in Los Angeles, with the outer jungle behind them. Delaney is a nature writer for a magazine and is a stay at home dad. Kyra is a high power real-estate broker. They consider themselves healthy and eco conscience. Their son and them are partial vegetarians.
The story opens with Delaney driving and running into Candido by mistake. He wants to help the man but he just motions for money and Delaney gives him the $20 in his pocket. Candido limps off and Delaney drives home. He feel terrible about what happens both for the man and the possible legal ramifications if he is to be reported as a hit and run driver. His lawyer/neighbour puts his mind at ease but he still thinks about the man and wonders if he survived.
Because of the accident, Candido isn’t able to try to find work for awhile. America goes to the “make-shift” work exchange for illegal’s, every day and finally finds work cleaning Buddha statues. However, one day on her way back to their camp site she gets stopped by 2 illegal immigrant men. They take her money and rape her. By then Candido is ready to work and he starts going on the daily walk to the exchange, leaving America at the camp site where he thinks she will be safe.
At the same time, Delaney and Kyra are having problems of their own. A coyote gets into their yard and kills one of their dogs. Kyra is devastated. The strata has a meeting and Delaney interrupts it to tell people to stop leaving litter and food out. He believes that is what is attracting the coyotes to their neighbourhood. He gets kicked out of the meeting for being off topic.
Delaney and Kyra decided to have a chain-link fence in their yard but eventually another coyote jumps over it and kills their other dog right in front of them. One of the jobs Candido gets is to help put up a chain link fence. Yes, the same fence. Candido and Delaney don’t see each other then but they will see each other again, later in the story. Eventually their lives intertwine to a devastating way.
T.C. Boyle has a special relationship with words. He can write both short stories and novels equally well. I listed to the audio version of this book and Boyle was the reader. It rarely works for me when an author reads their own material. They don’t all have the gift of narration as well as the gift of words. Boyle has both! He made his characters come to life.
Boyle tackles ethical and political issues with respect and makes the reader feel compassion for both sides. I can hardly wait to read another novel and more short stories by T.C. Boyle.
4.5/5
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