T.C. Boyle

A friend (of the earth;) and I went to see T.C. Boyle this evening--he was speaking in Campbell to promote the community reading program, especially since they had chosen his Tortilla Curtain as the first book of the year. We took our seats in the balcony of the Campbell Heritage Theatre (quite plush, I might add, with painted designs on the ceiling and a good-sized stage). Boyle read a short story that mixed elements of the prehistoric, pre-written, 1950s culture, post 1950s drug culture, and present day dangers to children. His voice moved musically over his own writing, his mannerisms and delivery a mix of Hunter S., Jeff Goldblum, and his own je ne sais quoi sense of self. He continued with some selections from Tortilla Curtain , sharing passages from both Delaney's and Candido's perspectives (pre-auto crash, post-auto crash, and racial tensions....Thanksgiving as well). But the highlight of the evening came when he responded to the question cards. My question went something like this: What was the deal with the man with the backwards hat in Tortilla Curtain ? Was he meant to be a fringe figure, rejected by both the white and Mexican cultures, moving along the edges of society? Was he meant to be an omnipresent or omnipotent figure? Boyle's response--this was an interpretive (interpretative--brain still buzzing on my part) question, and as such he felt that the readers should interpret it in their own way. However, he did note that the character's name was Jose Navidad, and there was a character from A Light in August called Joe Christmas. And that was all! I know that I need to delve within the pages of Faulkner and see just exactly what's there. Even better (or perhaps equally fantastic!) was our meeting with Boyle after the reading. I thanked him for giving me a clue re: my question and told him how I'd written a paper exploring the implications of the character--how I was thinking about revising the paper and taking it further. He seemed to think it was a solid idea (!) He also signed my collection of his short stories, and I told him how I'd enjoyed the "Descent of Man" the best. Afterward, my friend and I ended up in this sort of extended conversation with the event planner/speaker/question reader woman, the author, etc. over the author's next performance at the Mexican Heritage Plaza next month. I am STOKED! Hopefully we can gather a few more friends for next month and go again. So much fun, soooo inspiring, just what I needed right now.....:)