T. Coraghessan Boyle, The Tortilla Curtain

Martin Kich (Wright State University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1995

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United States (Country of Origin)

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Novel

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The Tortilla Curtain

, T. C. Boyle explores the tension between the conspicuous affluence of American suburban life and the surreptitious, hardscrabble existence of undocumented immigrants who struggle to survive long enough to be able to afford even the cheapest available housing and regular meals. The novel is set in Southern California in and around a suburban community called Arroyo Blanco Estates, which is located purposefully at a safe remove from the urban turmoil of Los Angeles. “Arroyo Blanco” literally translates to “white stream” or “white creek” but, of course, expresses affluent “white” exclusivity in a Spanish phrase—one assumes because it sounds more picturesque. Arroyo Blanco Estates is located in what was once a semi-arid wilderness, and what is left…

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3028 words

Citation: Kich, Martin. "The Tortilla Curtain". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 September 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=41671, accessed 16 October 2024.]

T. Coraghessan Boyle, The Tortilla Curtain

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