The Gates

by Chuck Wachtel

The award-winning author of Joe the Engineer sets his new novel in New York City and war-torn Nicaragua. Primo Thomas, who teaches English to immigrants, faces the second half of his life. Primo's story is one of desire, of struggle, and of a journey toward a life with meaning.

416 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 1994

Reviews

[John Pappas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The gates of the title are personal, political and economic as Primo, the English-as-a-second-language teacher attempts to cross the divide that exists between races, cultures, communities and individuals. When Primo's trip to Nicaragua during its conflict with the Sandinistas proves revelatory, he finds it difficult to slip back into his complacent American life. He's crossing over a one-way threshold that will inspire some radical choices as he attempts to live his re-contextualized life. Some excellent writing, humanizing the different characters and their plights, and asking important ethical questions about living in a democracy (that doesn't always seem like one) and living in a global community where a rich nation's tax dollars contribute, ultimately, to the suppression of a people through violence.