The Bolero of Andi Rowe: StoriesWinner of the Miguel Mármol Prize, this collection of inter-related stories delves into the life of Andi Rowe—a young woman of Mexican and Irish heritage—to give an intimate account of one family’s passage from the immigrant story to the American story, and the cycle of loss, adaptation, and rediscovery that is innate to that experience. Set largely in Los Angeles’s San Gabriel Valley, and crossing generations and borders, these stories focus on the quiet moments between explosions, where tension simmers just beneath the surface. From a Border Patrol agent whose own mother crossed the border illegally to a lonely woman seeking companionship with her hired day-laborer, characters seek revelation in the most ordinary of experiences, their actions filled with humor, longing, and honesty. In the tradition of Flannery O’Connor, Toni Margarita Plummer explores themes of grace and redemption as each story spirals toward a surprising but inevitable conclusion. The Bolero of Andi Rowe, an impressive work by an exciting new talent, offers a compassionate look at the struggle between meeting cultural expectations and seeking happiness, and the sacrifices and triumphs made along the way. |
Contents
Olivias Roses | 11 |
The Desert in Green | 23 |
Forces | 31 |
The Bolero of Andi Rowe | 43 |
All the Sex Is West | 55 |
To Visit the Cemetery | 89 |
Acknowledgments | 119 |
Common terms and phrases
Abuelita Adán Altar Servers Andi's Anthony Anthony Rowe anymore asked beer Beth Bob Dylan BOLERO boys called champurrado Chenta Dad says daugh Diamond Bar door drink driveway Dulce eyes face feel felt fingers flowers friends front Gabe girl glasses gonna gotta grabbed grave guess guitarrón guys hair hand head Inez inside Janine kids kissed knew laughed look Luis Mamá Maria mariachis Mary Maura Miguel mother movie moving never nice night nodded okay Olivia Ollie Orlando Pandi parking Pete pick piñata pink play pulled quesadillas quinceañera ranchera remember Rosa Rosa's rosary rubbed Santa seemed she'd shit shot shoulder Sister sitting smile someone song South El Monte Spanish started stopped street talk tell tequila sunrise things thought Tío told took turned Vicenta wait walked watched woman Yeah