11. Memory Mambo

by Achy Obejas

I don't know that I really conveyed it in my introduction to next month's GB Book Club selection, but I quite liked Memory Mambo. It was a nice departure from our usual books in that Chicago wasn't at the forefront of the story. It was more just the background rather than a character of its own. Not that I'm against cities acting as characters, especially when it's the one that I know and love, but the change was refreshing. And the itself story was quite good. This was another instance of being pleasantly surprised by a book I'd never heard of.