The Last Tortilla: and Other Stories (Camino del Sol) - Hardcover

Troncoso, Sergio

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0816519609 ISBN 13: 9780816519606

Publisher: University of Arizona Press, 1999

Synopsis

"She asked me if I liked them. And what could I say? They were wonderful." From the very beginning of Sergio Troncoso's celebrated story "Angie Luna," we know we are in the hands of a gifted storyteller.Born of Mexican immigrants, raised in El Paso, and now living in New York City, Troncoso has a rare knack for celebrating life.

Writing in a straightforward, light-handed style reminiscent of Grace Paley and Raymond Carver, he spins charming tales that reflect his experiences in two worlds. Troncoso's El Paso is a normal town where common people who happen to be Mexican eat, sleep, fall in love, and undergo epiphanies just like everyone else. His tales are coming-of-age stories from the Mexican-American border, stories of the working class, stories of those coping with the trials of growing old in a rapidly changing society. He also explores New York with vignettes of life in the big city, capturing its loneliness and danger.Beginning with Troncoso's widely acclaimed story "Angie Luna," the tale of a feverish love affair in which a young man rediscovers his Mexican heritage and learns how much love can hurt, these stories delve into the many dimensions of the human condition. We watch boys playing a game that begins innocently but takes a dangerous turn. We see an old Anglo woman befriending her Mexican gardener because both are lonely. We witness a man terrorized in his New York apartment, taking solace in memories of lost love.Two new stories will be welcomed by Troncoso's readers. "My Life in the City" relates a transplanted Texan's yearning for companionship in New York, while "The Last Tortilla" returns to the Southwest to explore family strains after a mother's death—and the secret behind that death. Each reflects an insight about the human heart that has already established the author's work in literary circles.

Troncoso sets aside the polemics about social discomfort sometimes found in contemporary Chicano writing and focuses instead on the moral and intellectual lives of his characters. The twelve stories gathered here form a richly textured tapestry that adds to our understanding of what it is to be human.

About this title

Review

Winner of the 1999 Premio Aztlan for the best book by an emerging Chicano writer "These stories are richly satisfying." --Publishers Weekly "Enthusiastically recommended" --Booklist "Troncoso really shines when he writes about El Paso and the life of Mexican Americans there. He has the gift for writing from his heart outward into his reader's heart." --Bloomsbury Review Winner of the 1999 "Premio Aztlan" for the best book by an emerging Chicano writer "These stories are richly satisfying." "Publishers Weekly" "Enthusiastically recommended" "Booklist" "Troncoso really shines when he writes about El Paso and the life of Mexican Americans there. He has the gift for writing from his heart outward into his reader's heart." "Bloomsbury Review""

From the Back Cover

Born of Mexican immigrants, raised in El Paso, and now living in New York City, Troncoso has a rare knack for celebrating life. Writing in a straightforward, light-handed style reminiscent of Grace Paley and Raymond Carver, he spins charming tales that reflect his experiences in two worlds. Beginning with Troncoso's widely acclaimed story "Angie Luna", the tale of a feverish love affair in which a young man rediscovers his Mexican heritage and learns how much love can hurt, these stories form a richly textured tapestry that adds to our understanding of what it is to be human.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Arizona Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0816519609
• ISBN 13: 9780816519606
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 220