The Tortilla Curtain

T.C. Boyle's tragicomic, award-winning novel about assimilation, immigration, and the price of the American dream

"A masterpiece of contemporary social satire." --The Wall Street Journal

Topanga Canyon is home to two couples on a collision course. Los Angeles liberals Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher lead an ordered sushi-and-recycling existence in a newly gated hilltop community: he a sensitive nature writer, she an obsessive realtor. Mexican immigrants Candido and America Rincon desperately cling to their vision of the American Dream as they fight off starvation in a makeshift camp deep in the ravine. And from the moment a freak accident brings Candido and Delaney into intimate contact, these four and their opposing worlds gradually intersect in what becomes a tragicomedy of error and misunderstanding.
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368 pages

Average rating: 7.33

3 RATINGS

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1 REVIEW

Community Reviews

margardenlady
Dec 27, 2023
10/10 stars
Wow. Another novel about illegal immigrants, and clearly describes the horror and humiliation they are subjected to while trying to work. They are definitely not a drag on our social systems, rather they are easy prey for those trying to cheat or abuse them (some of whom are white,others not).
This novel contains a parallel storyline about a white couple whose lives unintentionally intersect those of an immigrant couple. We watch the husband move...read more

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