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The Tortilla Curtain
 

The Tortilla Curtain

by T.C. Boyle

While leading their lives in their gated hilltop community in Los Angeles, Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher accidently meet Mexican illegal aliens Ca+a7ndido and Ame+a7rica Rinco+a7n, and their encounter brings them together in a relationship of error and misunderstanding. Reprint. (read review)

Top tags: fiction,  contemporary fiction,  california,  mexico,  immigrants (all tags)

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Other Reviews

Amazon Reviews (5)
 

Most Helpful Reviews

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1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
sthurner
  • Rated 4 stars

“I have tried and tried to get my friends to read The Tortilla Curtain. Too dark, is their lame excuse. I find this novel to be wonderfully funny, terrible, ironic, and gut wrenching. We have two couples, one Mexican, one middle class Californian, who come together when the white husband accidentally hits the Latino on the road. We learn that each couple has its troubles, and each just wants to be happy. Candido and America (love the names) want to find jobs and settle enough to raise...”

sthurner’s full review »
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Community:
  • Rated 3.934546 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 3.357143 stars
  

Newest Comments

  • Nate J

    nate j said:

    “not often do I read fiction. Admittedly, an assigned read, but well worth it. Boyle brings it home without care for subtlety.”

    posted Friday, February 8 2008
  • Cathy B

    cathy b said:

    “I don't know if I'm going to finish this book. I personally know illegal immigrants and think that interacting with them informs me far more than any book will. And if the purpose of the book is to educate, as it seems to be, I think it's preaching to the choir.

    TCB was famous at the small college I went to ... I think I just missed him ... so I've always wanted to read something of his. ”

    posted Saturday, December 8 2007
  • Cathleen A

    cathleen a said:

    “well done.”

    posted Tuesday, October 23 2007
  • Januari

    januari said:

    “The Us vs Them Syndrome

    I posted this question in the Diversity Works group, but I wanted to open up the discussion to others who have read the book:


    I finished this book by T.C. Boyle last night, and I was floored. It's amazing to me how he captured the feelings, frustrations, and obstacles that both the Mexican immigrant and upper class populations face when sharing the same living spaces, in this case, Los Angeles. I almost don't know where to start, but I'm going to address a few points that especially stuck out to me:

    1. People have more sympathy for a dog eaten by a coyote, or a dog locked in a car than an immigrant who gets hit by a car. Yes, it can be argued that a dog can't really fend for himself and is completely innocent, but is it still right that a dog can trudge up more emotion than a person?

    2. The members of the gated community were concerned that the immigrants who were living in the brush and canyons were causing irreperable damage to the ecosystem and environment with their makeshift campsights. But no thought was given to the mega housing complexes, gates and walls that were being built, not to mention the cars each individual was driving.

    3. They took away the day labor site, but not before they used this labor to pass out flyers and build the walls and gates meant to keep the immigrants and other minorities out.

    I could go on and on, this book was great. Feel free to comment, or add anything else from the book that stuck out to you. ”

    posted Monday, May 14 2007 ( | view 1 reply )
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