Boullosa, Carmen. Leaving Tabasco.

Grove dist. by Publishers Group West. 244p. c1999. 0-8021-3860-8. $13.00. SA

When this novel opens, in the winter of 1997, Delmira, exiled from her native Mexico for 30 years, is living in Germany, working as an editor and translator of works by Latin American authors. In the bleakness of that winter she begins to look back at her childhood in Agustini, Mexico, a place and climate that stand in stark contrast to the dreariness of Berlin. Two years of her childhood make up the main story of this work. We meet Delmira, in 1961, age eight, living with her mother and grandmother in an all-female household that seems devoid of any loving feelings for her. The story fast forwards to 1967, when Delmira, now age 14, begins to awaken to the possibilities of a life outside of Agustini. Befriended by a teacher from the local public school, Delmira first rebels against her family by going to the public school, where she mixes with those from the lower classes. This eventually leads to her taking part in a political demonstration, which leads to her arrest and exile. But this story is not only Delmira's. Interspersed with her childhood memories are the stories of her grandmother. It is from these stories that the reader gets a clearer understanding of how the town was settled and how those of European descent slowly lost economic and political ground to the Indian population they had enslaved.

Both of these stories, Delmira's and her grandmother's, are similar to many other Latin American and Caribbean works in that they combine fantastical phenomena with realism. For instance, Delmira recounts a series of Sundays when strange events occur: birds fall from the sky, unable to fly; an old servant awakens with stigmata and the ability to levitate; and earth tremors bury the market. It is as if life in the heat and sun of that climate brings its inhabitants into closer contact with a fantastical spirit world.

Bulluosa's style and choice of words result in a fast-paced cacophonic description of colors, sounds, and scents that assault the reader's senses. Agustini is vibrant and so real that we can feel its heat. The authors' talent lies in enabling the reader to not only visualize the richness of the town and its people, but also to feel it. This novel would be a great addition to Latin American collections and would be a good way to introduce older teens to this body of literature. Debra Mitts Smith, YA Libn., Glenview P.L., Glenview, IL