Tropic of Orange

by Karen Tei Yamashita Narrated by Emily Woo Zeller

Overview

Irreverently juggling magical realism, film noir, hip hop, and chicanismo, Tropic of Orange takes place in a Los Angeles where the homeless, gangsters, infant organ entrepreneurs, and Hollywood collide on a stretch of the Harbor Freeway. Hemmed in by wildfires, it's a symphony conducted from an overpass, grandiose, comic, and as diverse as the city itself-from an author who has received the California Book Award and the Association for Asian American Studies Book Award, among other literary honors.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

“Fiercely satirical. . . . Yamashita presents [an] intricate plot with mordant wit.” —New York Times Book Review

“A stunner.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“Brilliant. . . . An ingenious interpretation of social woes.” —Booklist (starred review)

“David Foster Wallace meets Gabriel García Márquez.” —Publishers Weekly

“Yamashita’s fast-paced and bittersweet tale ties together all classes, races and nationalities in a cosmic vision that is both well-written and entertaining.” —Counterpoise

Library Journal - Audio

10/01/2019

Yamashita (Through the Arc of the Rainforest) recreates the chaos, self-centeredness, and downright weirdness of life in Los Angeles in the 1990s. Yamashita uses short chapters told from changing points of view to capture the poignancy, absurdity, and joy of being human in the shifting—in this case, literally—landscape. While some of the book's technological references are dated (the novel was originally published in 1997), Yamashita's depiction of the messiness of people's lives and emotions transcends any time limits. This is a work that defies easy categorization by genre: it is part L.A. noir and part magical realism, with aspects of dystopian narratives mixed with political commentary and surrealistic imagery. Yamashita keeps firm control over the story, ensuring that the reader moves easily and rapidly with each shift in point of view. This control is reinforced by Emily Woo Zeller's narration; through inflection, accent, and tone, Zeller clearly defines each character and avoids what, in a lesser artist's hands, could have become a confusing storyline. As what appear to be disparate tales—including those of a homeless encampment that takes root on an L.A. freeway, a Latinx journalist's long-distance attempts to renovate a home he bought in Mexico, a performance artist who takes on the persona of a Mexican wrestler, a Japanese American news executive who revels in being politically incorrect (in part to embarrass her lover, the journalist)—begin to converge, it becomes clear that Yamashita is asking us to consider our preconceptions about life and how it is lived today. VERDICT Recommended, especially for fans of speculative fiction.—Wendy Galgan, St. Joseph's Coll., Standish, ME

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170098064
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	06/28/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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