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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
The story of two couples in Southern California. One is filthy rich and self-absorbed and the other is from Mexico and illegal. The book is quite profane, but Boyle really makes the reader think about immigration and class. Not uplifting but not a read I will soon forget, either.
This book will stick with you, and it's a very powerful and horrifying story. I felt a lot of empathy for all the characters, especially the two lead male characters who are brilliantly written, with lots of realistic glimpses into their thoughts and behaviors. But if shedding light on privilege and poverty in California was the "goal" of this book, so to speak, then I'm not sure who the target audience is. I picked up this book because I already felt a sort of empathy, or at the very least a sort of concerned curiosity, towards especially the most desperate of Mexican immigrants, and this book was nothing if not a sort of critique of people who lack such empathy, and a study of how human prejudice can warp and evolve.
This book has haunted me all week. Boyle is an excellent writer, but it's the subject matter that won't get out of my head. In particular, the hypocrisy of Delaney, the wealthy nature writer. I hated watching him descend into the depths of hatred and irrational behavior, and found myself squirming and cringing over the points Boyle made regarding the emptiness and extravagance of the "haves" and their lifestyles. As for the illegal immigrants, certainly not blameless, but achingly pathetic. I can't say this was a favorite read, it was just too uncomfortable, but it is a timely read, if you are courageous enough to go there.
This was awesome, though it's kind of scary what hatred and ignorance can do to a man.
Heart pounding. The suspense. Nerves were wrecked the entire time I was reading. My heart breaks for how true all aspects of this book are. I wish white people would read this; perhaps after, they wouldn't look at brown people like they are dogs.
It’s a fairly decent book. However, in terms of interesting character arcs Delaney’s the only character who has one. The other characters either seem faitrly unchanging, or I just don’t understand what their change in behavior is supposed to mean.
Another one for school, again super depressing. This plays out a few decades back, but the only thing changed is the gadgets? JFC: https://recenseernogeenkeer.com/2018/02/26/the-tortilla-curtain/
