Tropic of Orange
| Author | Karen Tei Yamashita |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Magic Realism Fiction |
| Published | 1997 (Coffee House Press) |
| Media type | |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 36961003 |
| Preceded by | Brazil-Maru |
| Followed by | Circle K Cycles |
Tropic of Orange is a novel set in Los Angeles and Mexico with a diverse, multi-ethnic cast of characters by Karen Tei Yamashita. Published in 1997, the novel is generally considered a work of magic realism but can also be considered science fiction, postcolonial literature, speculative fiction, postmodern literature, world literature, or literature of transnationalism.
Tropic of Orange revolves around seven distinct, yet interrelated characters and story lines (listed in bold below). The story covers the span of seven days, with each day getting its own unit, and with each character getting one chapter for each day.
In Los Angeles, Japanese-American television news executive, Emi, and her lover, Latino journalist Gabriel Balboa, are chasing newsworthy stories of local disaster, including an apocalyptic standstill on the Harbor Freeway and the creation of a new urban social order by homeless population moving into the abandoned cars. One of Gabriel's most reliable sources is Buzzworm, an African American who roams LA streets dispensing advice and help. Buzzworm gives Gabriel a few newsworthy tips, such as the mysterious package arriving at the L.A. airport and the presence of Manzanar Murakami, a Sansei and former doctor who conducts freeway traffic from an overpass as if they were symphonies.
Gabriel also owns a home near Mazatlán, Mexico, which is being tended by Mexican-American Rafaela Cortes during her separation from husband Bobby Ngu. Gabriel's Mexican home is the site of early anomalies that become increasingly visible and widespread as the novel progresses, including a special orange that falls from Rafaela's favorite tree at the home. This orange is picked up by the mystical Arcangel, who carries the fruit across the U.S.-Mexico border and, with it, the Tropic of Cancer. Rafaela also overhears a conversation between two men that makes her fear for the safety of herself and her son, Sol. Meanwhile, Bobby, who has been trying to locate Rafaela and Sol, is mysteriously informed of the arrival of a young Chinese girl who may or may not be a cousin of his.
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