After I finished reading Héctor Tobar’s The Barbarian Nurseries, I spent some time pondering the Great American Novel. It’s a bit of a cliche in book circles (at least to my way of thinking). But when you actually come across one, it renews your faith that writers can write something that speaks to who we are as a country. This book brilliantly shows the divides in our country between rich and poor, white and Hispanic, citizen and immigrant. I haven’t seen a story like this in a long time, one that really captures us.
The book switches perspective between Araceli, a maid, and her bosses, Maureen and Scott. For the most part, we get the story from Araceli’s perspective. She’s a former art student from Mexico City, illegally in the United States. She’s a hard worker, but she spends a lot of time studying her employers and their way of life. She’s stuck in her position because of her status and her thwarted dreams of being an artist are starting to make her bitter. As for Maureen and Scott, they are stuck in their lives, too. The recession has hit them hard, though Maureen doesn’t seem to realize how bad it all is given the amount she spends on everything. Scott wants to return to being a game programmer, but I think he realizes that his days of innovation are behind him. In order to save money, Scott and Maureen dismiss their gardener and nanny. Without asking if she’s willing to take on even more work for no extra money, Scott and Maureen dump extra duties on Araceli. Because she’s so dependable and never gives voice to her complaints, they assume that Araceli won’t mind.
The fragile situation reaches a breaking point and, in a stunningly selfish moment, Maureen leaves with the baby for a long weekend and Scott goes home with a coworker for a weekend of pizza, soda, and gaming. They didn’t mean to, but they left their two older children home alone with Araceli, who has no experience with childcare. Araceli calls all the numbers on the emergency contact list repeatedly, but can’t get a hold of anyone. In a moment of panic, Araceli decides to try and find the boys’ grandfather in Los Angeles. The wisest thing to do would have been to call the police, but with her immigration status a mark against her, that’s not an option. The middle section of the book shows Araceli and the boys’ quest to track down the grandfather while Maureen and Scott try to get a grip on themselves.
Everything breaks wide open when Maureen and Scott finally come home (after four days) to find their boys missing. It’s this last part where the book really starts to shine because what started as small domestic drama quickly becomes a national controversy. Araceli faces threats of deportation and vehement racism. Maureen and Scott face withering criticism about their fitness as parents. In the third act, things really start to get out of control as Araceli, Scott, and Maureen are advised and occasionally manipulated by other players. But the resolution is a thing of beauty when Tobar pulls it off.
Aside from the race and language issues, what really interested me about this book was what Tobar wrote about the class divides in Los Angeles. Araceli isn’t paid much for the phenomenal amount of work she does and since she can’t get a better paying job, she’s stuck. Even though Scott has made some efforts at downsizing their life, they’re still living much, much better than most Americans. They think having to let go of two domestic workers is a hardship–which I suppose it is when you’re used to having a lot of help around the house. They live such insulated lives that they really have no idea what life is like outside of their gated community. And Scott and Maureen’s isolation has led them to become fairly stunningly selfish. They don’t mean to be; they just don’t take other people into account when they do things like take off for a long weekend without telling anyone.
The third act also brings in another aspect of American life: the media. Pundits on both sides of the political spectrum and journalists looking for a big story help turn this misunderstanding into a national controversy. It’s well known that people gravitate to the news narratives they agree with. We see characters latch on to the story, dividing themselves into camps that support either Araceli or the parents depending on their political leanings. The few facts in the case get lost in all the posturing. But I think this is a great depiction of the real thing.
There’s more to talk about with this book, but Tobar wove these issues and more together in such an elegant way that I worry about selling this book short. This book is amazing. Read it.