This book was incredible! It was written in 1996 but here we are 25 years later and it’s so relatable, it’s as if it just came out recently. Tortilla Curtain is a story of an Mexican couple that’s entered the US illegally trying to get a piece of the proverbial pie and a upper middle class couple who reside in a gated community. The two couples paths intertwine on more than one occasion and those interactions affect them all profoundly. Illegal immigration has and seems like it always will be a hot button issue. And as a white, middle-class, American who has lived in the suburbs his whole life, my heart broke for Candido and America (the Mexican couple of you couldn’t already guess) but also felt like I could understand the some of the actions taken by the protagonist, Delaney.
Told from multiple perspectives, this book is a must read.
by Shaw-Deez
4 Comments
Yes. It’s brilliant! One of TG’s best.
Read this around the time it came out and, yeah, really great book. I haven’t thought about it in awhile, but you’re so right – it might feel even more timely now… which I guess is a sad indictment, in a way. Boyle is an incredibly clear writer.
I did my country’s equivalent to a-level exams on that book, but I’ll barely remember it anymore. Gotta reread it at some point.
I’m always so disappointed when I see people who are shocked that a book a mere 25 years old should be relatable. The progressive bias towards contemporary books is absurd.