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Magdalena washes to shore in California. She was run off the road in Mexico and escaped into the ocean to flee her attackers. Magdalena works for a lawyer concerned with human rights and the medical damage caused by American companies working in Mexico. As the Mexican government is willing to overlook companies that are dangerous and polluting, the people must protect themselves. Magdalena believes that whoever her attacker was, he must be connected to one of the factories she is investigating. She needs to lie low for a while and believes that she has found the person to help her. Fahey is the man Magdalena hopes will help her. He is an ageing surfer and has served some jail time. He currently helps the Fish and Wildlife Agency as well as running his father's worm farm. Fahey has no desire to get involved in anything, but Magdalena is very persuasive. Together they must find out who tried to kill Magdalena and prevent him from trying again. If they can pin this murder attempt on an American company then that would just make the situation even better. TIJUANA STRAITS is an unusual book. The language of the book flows in an odd manner. The language and sentence structure of the book make it feel almost as though Nunn was attempting to write literature rather than a thriller. The characters spend a lot of the book dealing with their own past and thoughts. In fact, there is little interaction or communication between any of the characters. It is almost as though the plot is already obvious to the characters so they can carry out their assigned roles without having to think about it. The lack of dialogue made the story feel as though Nunn was attempting to make the characters and situation universal rather than specific to this book. While this method can be incredibly powerful, Nunn did not manage to capture the universality for which he was aiming. While I did not like the writing style or the plot development, it is obvious that Nunn is familiar with the topics he discusses. While I am not a surfer, it is apparent that Nunn is familiar with the sport and the ideas that drive its participants. The theory of surfing and the importance it plays for the characters does help explain some of the dreaminess of the characters and the book itself. Nunn also explores foreign pollution and the living conditions of Mexico's people. American companies frequently use more lenient safety procedures when operating outside of the United States. This saves them a lot of money and helps make products a little cheaper, but this practice can cause a lot of damage to the land and its people. While this situation is slowly changing, it is still heartbreaking to read about families who must deal with devastating birth defects and health problems. On the other side of this is the fact that some of these less industrialized countries then blame American (or European) companies for all of their problems. While poorly maintained factories do cause some problems, Mexico's own government and the country's societal mores also effect the quality of living. Nunn captures this situation and presents it compellingly.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, August 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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