The Deportation of Wopper Barraza: A Novel

I enjoyed reading this book, and at no point was I bored. The characters are hilarious, and I liked the multiple narrators. However, the depiction of "Mija" was troublesome to me. She is repeatedly called a "slut" by one of the characters, there are rumors that portray her as a two-faced black widow or gold digger, and what's disappointing is that the truth about her persona is never revealed in the end. I wish the author had included her voice/perspective more (let her have her say) to counter the misogyny. The ending was not what I wanted, but alas, maybe these are hard issues that we must confront: the hopelessness, the routines, the lack of dreams, fear of the unknown, the need to retreat to our comfort zone even if that comfort zone is what stunts our creativity and keeps us chained. Nonetheless, I do recommend it. It is an easy, pleasing read, and it left me very pensive as I thought about the many "Wopper Barrazas" that I personally know.

What a fantastic premise for a novel, and what a mature piece of work this tragicomedy is. I can see this work becoming a classic text in schools and colleges throughout the Americas.Read it for the pleasure of getting to know the painstakingly well-developed main character (Whopper) and his intriguing female counterpart (Mija). Watching Whopper come of age and hearing the voices of those close to him is surprisingly pleasurable. The funniest part of the novel is following Whopper at the height of his powers as the Licenciado, the municipal representative, of a tiny rancho in Michoacan. The most unresolved part is the novel's engagement with female sexuality in the rancho. And the author doesn't hesitate to ask powerful questions about the quality of the dreams available to the children of immigrants. These philosophical questions are effectively woven into the novel's confident, satisfying, and commanding story-telling.

Mr. Montoya's second novel offers a glimpse of the transformative in life--in spite of our efforts to fight it off. Descriptively rich yet interactively minimalist, it is what isn't said that drives this bittersweet tale. Like pieces of marble being chipped away from a shapeless slab, our protagonist, equally shapeless and inert, develops a character etched by the reality of experience and time. That we are more willing and able to understand him is a good thing, the stuff of serious and enduring fiction, and I'm guessing what Mr. Montoya is about. Anybody giving this book a serious read will not only appreciate its craft, but will be a little changed by it as well.

It was a good book

Compassionate and humorous, a look at the situation from another angle

I saw this book and it immediately caught my attention. I love the message it send to young Latinos who are looking for themselves and feel they don't have direction. You never know where life will take you and that is ok.

What a great surprise! I found this unique story a delight and very interesting read. Well done!

Good read.