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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
I cannot express how much I adored the authors descriptive style of writing. Tangible, rich, luscious. The story itself is intriguing, and i spent the latter half of the book suffering from overwhelming dread and anticipation because there are a lot of unfair, cruel realities in our world, and some of those could have easily come to pass for the protagonist in this book. As it was, i celebrated Araceli's final scene, satisfied with her story arc. As for Maureen and Scott, I wish there had been more consequences for their clueless, selfish and thoughtless behaviour, but again i think this reflects the inequalities that are still unfortunately a Thing in today's society, and how privilege really does effect people. Amazing book, something I wouldn't normally read but I am so very glad i did. Engaging from the start.
I would not compare this book to "Bonfire of the Vanities" by any stretch. Tobar manages to capture the inane narcissism of many wealthy, educated thirtysomethings, their endless consumerism, self-righteous lifestyle and blindness to the reality of lives other than their own. The tale he weaves is complex and believable, yet I barely ever found reason to shake my head and laugh the way I did with Bonfire.
The main character, Ariceli, is difficult to embrace; she's sullen and offers little opportunity for connection, but that may be to the author's credit. A more loveable woman would be a facile cop-out in a way. Perhaps as a Easterner, I failed to grasp the whole California thing. The plot revolves around the complexities of immigration and where I live, it's pretty much a non-issue.
Overall, I was relieved to be done with the people in this tale, glad I didn't have to listen to their whining any longer or worry about how they could navigate their situation without the benefit of common sense. I'll give it 4 stars because I appreciate the way Tobar skillfully presented a detailed story and tied up loose ends, but the emotional attachment just didn't happen.
The main character, Ariceli, is difficult to embrace; she's sullen and offers little opportunity for connection, but that may be to the author's credit. A more loveable woman would be a facile cop-out in a way. Perhaps as a Easterner, I failed to grasp the whole California thing. The plot revolves around the complexities of immigration and where I live, it's pretty much a non-issue.
Overall, I was relieved to be done with the people in this tale, glad I didn't have to listen to their whining any longer or worry about how they could navigate their situation without the benefit of common sense. I'll give it 4 stars because I appreciate the way Tobar skillfully presented a detailed story and tied up loose ends, but the emotional attachment just didn't happen.
The lucid insights to race, class and gender-fueled inequities in LA and, arguably, to some degree in many American sub/urban milieu that Tobar weaves through in this novel are indeed rich and interesting. However, the beginning unravels much too slowly. The Torres-Thompson marital decline didn't need that much preamble; then their relationship vanishes. I also found the ending really unsatisfying in its ambiguity. Tobar does a great job creating Araceli as a complex character, but I found the rest of the cast so stereotypical, especially the neurotic, narcissistic white mother. What an easy mark. Yawn.
This was a really interesting look at immigration and race topics dealing with Mexicans in general. It is a great addition to Tobar's work and combines his usual subtle humor with serious topics.
Tobar is a writer, inasmuch as he can string together sentences--so many sentences--in this Bataan Death March of a book. Clocking in at about 150 pages too long, and covering ground much more ably tread by TC Boyle in The Tortilla Curtain, Tobar's caricatures aim for our sympathy and fail miserably to earn it as they shift aimlessly from whatever point the author is using them to make to the next. Perhaps the most offensive part is when Tobar compares himself to Roberto Bolaño and judges himself superior. Mr. Tobar, I know Roberto Bolaño, I've read Roberto Bolaño, Robert Bolaño is a favorite author of mine--and you're no Roberto Bolaño.
This book is ten years old but it could have been written today. With a familiarity of all the Los Angeles area gained as a journalist and an understanding of the caste system that has emerged with LatinX workers and their employers, he shines a light on the challenges of the undocumented in this story of a Mexicana domestic worker that suddenly finds herself alone with two young boys when her employers each go separate ways after a heated argument. The story is propelled by a lack of communication between parents and between employers and employee. Tobar shows the manipulation of Araceli's plight by people in all areas of the political landscape making her both scapegoat and hero. I related to this story having personally dealt to some degree with the huge obstacles of the immigration system. I have friends and family members who have come into the US without documents. I have seen parents who were afraid to seek help because of their legal status. I have one friend who was an author and the director of her own school in Guatemala but has never been able to be more than a housekeeper here in the States in spite of her legal status which is now that of a citizen. Tobar looks at the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful in the experiences of his characters and manages to do so with a certain amount of sympathy, or at least understanding, of all involved
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really loved this story. It isn't a story that you can pick up and put down really easily though, at least not for me. There are a lot of details and it's a pretty involved story. I love how LA is also a character in the story. Also, I enjoyed that the characters were fleshed out and felt real. There was no 'villain' or 'hero', just people who made good and bad decisions. Well, lying about Araceli was pretty bad but you could see the reason why Maureen did it and why Scott went along.
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes