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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Violence throughout: assault, racism-driven violence, and the violence of systemic inequality
Language
Some
Some profanity throughout
Sexual Content
Some
Some sexual content in the adult literary register
Substance Use
Barely any
Moderate drinking among the privileged characters
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Strong psychological content: the novel is designed to produce discomfort about liberal hypocrisy and the human cost of wealth's self-protection
What this book is about
T.C. Boyle's novel alternates between two couples in the Santa Monica Mountains: Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher, liberal environmentalists in a gated community, and Cándido and América Rincón, undocumented immigrants from Mexico trying to survive in the canyons below. Their lives intersect in escalating and violent ways that expose the gap between liberal idealism and what people actually do to protect themselves. A sharp, uncomfortable novel about immigration, race, and class in Los Angeles.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Violence connected to racial and class dynamics
Unflinching examination of liberal hypocrisy
Reader Verification
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