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Cisneros brings Berkeley a reading of “Caramelo”

By Jane Yin
Saturday October 26, 2002

Lala, the main character in Sandra Cisneros’ new novel “Caramelo,” clambers through her life’s journeys, as it twists and turns, like a free-wheeling road trip. Like Lala’s storytelling, the facts in “Caramelo” are based on real people from Cisneros’ life, but the “means for the end” are Cisneros’ own creations. The long-awaited second book from the author of the highly celebrated novel “The House on Mango Street” is a tale about a young girl who adroitly retells the story of her family and illustrates what it is like to be the youngest and only female among her siblings. 

What started out as a short story and mushroomed into a full-fledged novel of truths and half-truths, “Caramelo” is Cisneros’ way of telling the universal story of an immigrant, while celebrating her father’s life. Filled with comedic labeling of her family members, such as “awful grandmother” and “aunty light-skin,” Lala takes us along the corners of her Italian Aunt Ninfa’s spotless, “movie-star” house and on the never-ending car trips to their motherland, Mexico. “Caramelo” is not a just a story of Lala’s journey to becoming a woman, but a book filled with Mexican American history. 

“I didn't think I was going to be writing a history book,” explained Cisneros, “but in telling my father's story, I had to go back and look at how he became who he was. So I had to invent my grandmother's story and how she became who she was, so next thing I knew, there was a lot of tributaries from my main story, and footnotes, chronologies and things like that, that I didn't anticipate when I began.” 

The inquisitive Lala begins her tale as the forgotten element in a family photograph. Throughout the story, she is our invisible bird’s-eye view, providing us with vivid details of her family, her ancestors and their hilarious anecdotes. Often, Cisneros takes us off course as she paints the picture of Lala’s past, but we are eventually dragged back to the same themes of growth, family and identity. 

When her father reveals some shocking family truths, Lala is forced to understand what drives certain members of her family to be the people they are. We follow Lala as she tries to “fit in” amongst her American friends and when she falls in love with a young boy, Ernesto. Through all the trying times, Lala manages to climb out on top, with the help of the most unexpected person, her grandmother. 

“Caramelo” is made up of Cisneros’ trademark poetic flavor, with vignettes and poems spread throughout the book. Every scenario is described with sarcastic detail. We are instantly transported into the raw truth of Lala’s world. “Caramelo” is like a joke with a fabulously clever punch line. Cisneros skillfully incorporates Spanish words throughout the entire novel, so the read is not limited to merely Spanish readers and even, enhances the book, enabling readers of all nationalities to relate to its journeys. Cisneros’ writing has an immense impact on bringing the perspective of Chicana woman to the mainstream arena. 

“ I don’t think about it at all,” said Cisneros, “I just think that I’ve got to go to work everyday. I read the news every day, and I respond to the sad events that I see. I think about communities who don’t know each other. I want to build the bridge between my community and the other ones.” 

Although this will only be her second novel, the award-winning writer has composed a myriad of poetry and short story compilations, including acclaimed “Woman Hollering Creek.” She frequently dissects long-debated topics, such as feminism, gender roles and religion, within her writing. Her own influences include many journalists, activists and novelists such as Studs Turkel and Dorothy Allison.  

In the past Cisneros taught underprivileged high school students, and now she independently conducts writing classes for writers, teachers and librarians. When asked what she will be involved in in the future, she retorted, “Clean my house. For nine years, I have put everything into [”Caramelo”]; my house and offices are a mess. I have scraps of paper filled with ideas for short stories lying around everywhere.” 

“Every year I cross the border, it’s the same – my mind forgets, but my body always remembers.” Like Lala’s feelings about her family’s annual trips to Mexico, it is hard to forget the journey that Cisneros takes us down in “Caramelo.”