Tropicália

by Ananda Lima

Devouring Americans from vending machines; longing for rats to greet them in their toilets; waking up not as a Kafkaesque insect, but as an alienated immigrant without a work visa--the characters of this lyrical collection fight for their human needs in absurd circumstances. Spun from 1980s America comedic horror, Carmen Miranda, and the thin metallic plastic of emergency blankets, "Tropicália" reengages with 20th-century Brazilian art movements (Antropofagia and Tropicalism) from within 21st-century USA. The collection portrays the rich inner worlds of characters who cannot ignore how systemic forces shape their belonging, grief, and love.

“Smart. Funny. Weird. Bilingual. Timely as hell. Political. Brave. I absolutely loved the pacing, clarity, economy of language, and wild imagination. The way she engages with current events and popular culture in such a reduced space is brilliant.”
—Gabino Iglesias, author of "Coyote Songs"

Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

About the author

Ananda Lima is the author of Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil (Tor Books, 2024) and Mother/land (Black Lawrence Press, 2021), winner of the Hudson Prize. Her work has appeared in American Poetry Review, Poets.org, Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, and elsewhere). She is a Contributing Editor at Poets & Writers and Program Curator at StoryStudio, Chicago. Lima was a mentor at the NYFA Immigrant Artist Program and the inaugural Latinx-in-Publishing WIP Fellow, sponsored by Macmillan Publishers. She has an MA in Linguistics (UCLA) and an MFA in Creative Writing (Rutgers-Newark). Craft, her fiction debut, was longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal. The New York Times describes it as “a remarkable debut that announces the arrival of a towering talent in speculative fiction.” Originally from Brazil, she lives in Chicago and New York.

Reviews

[my · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book in my apartment building's lobby, seemingly where people typically leave various "trash" that may be someone else's "treasure". Maybe that's a poor use of the phrase because I don't think this book is my treasure even though I am glad I found it.

The book consists of 3 short stories. They feel more exploratory and experimental than complete. I don't think that's really out of line with what's portrayed on the back, or with collections of short stories in general.

I enjoyed the particularly "weird" idea presented in the first story, but unless I missed it, it didn't really go anywhere. Actually, I guess it did but perhaps I just wasn't fulfilled by that conclusion. But an idea I really enjoyed all the same.

The second story is the shortest, but I think felt the most complete to me. Another way I can look at it: it didn't present any out-there ideas like the first and wasn't as long as the last, so maybe the brevity left me with no time to develop expectations. But don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it! Even though the subject matter was SO FREAKIN' HORRIBLE -- rats.

My interpretation of the last story is that it may have been the most representative of the author's own experiences, or at least an extrapolation. That is definitely an assumption, but as it touches on race-driven (I don't think gender, but maybe I am forgetting) conflicts experienced by minorities in the US I don't think that it's a bad assumption. That is, to say that most if not all minorities may experience something of the kind (sadly). Unquestionably, this story is the most poignant. As I reflect on it now, I can't help contemplate whether I should feel bad for not having been more moved. Interesting. It did come full circle, but still left me with a feeling of something to be desired in terms of completeness.

All in all, my impression is that the author is still developing and these are enjoyable productions of them actively doing just that. I feel good about my 3 stars rating.

Disclaimer: I'm SO not an expert so these are very much my subjective interpretations.

[Crystal Odelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly imaginative. Lima's dreamers remind us that surviving real nightmares isn't a matter of escape, but wielding the pen of dreams.

[Kathryne Squilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, creative and compleltely original. These stories have stayed with me.