Category: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Pantheon Books
ISBN: 0375423656
Pub. Date: March 2006
Date Read: July 2008
“When I saw Parque México, I felt like I’d found the doorway to the part I recognized from my imagination, where the hard truth about the crime rate, and the pollution, and the disappearance of traditional culture, just didn’t apply… I had this immediate feeling that everything would be ok, that I would find the México I was looking for, that it still existed.”
A young woman intent on finding her self, Carla packs up and heads to Mexico City. She doesn’t speak the language, even though she is Mexican-American, but she has just always felt that she belonged there. So she decides to crash in at her ex-boyfriend’s place and somehow after weeks pass she “misses” her return flight. It’s okay, she reasons, she knows her life will have more meaning in Mexico.
While everything about Mexico City may be chaotic, loud and different Carla feels hope as she drinks in the experience. She wears her hair in braids, makes a pilgrimage-like journey to Frida Kahlo’s house and feels that she really understands Mexico, more so than some of the other Americans ex-pats, especially Harry, her Ex. Their fights get bigger and louder and inevitably Carla moves out.
It won’t be easy for Carla to survive in the big city alone but she gets a job at a teaching school, finds a roommate and begins to make her own friends. She hangs around with Memo, a left-wing, pseudo-intellectual who complains about the state of Mexico’s people, politics and especially the ex-pats. Carla also starts to date Oscar, who dreams of being a DJ. And, all seems to be going well but Carla refuses to acknowledge that there are some serious issues in her life and with her friends.
I loved the attention to the little things the author draws when showing Carla’s experiences in Mexico, like getting an agua fresca (juice) or going to a tianguis (flea market). And, I think the author did a great job of conveying the uncertainty that Carla felt in her life and her quest, if you will, for what she was supposed to do. That is something that speaks to all of us.
However, as the novel progresses it turns darker and characters reveal their true nature leading up to one major event, which I wish hadn’t even been added in the story line. Ultimately, my biggest disappointment though comes with the main character. While I can appreciate that everyone makes mistakes and is capable of bad judgment, in the end I was disappointed that I didn’t see any remorse or redemption with this character.
I give kudos to Ms. Abel for the fantastic glossary included which not only translates the Spanish used but gives a bit of background to some of the terms that are very particular to Mexico. And, while the story may not have been wholly satisfying in the end I'd still like to look for more of her work.