Toucan Whisper, Toucan Sing

Book excerpt: Toucan Whisper, Toucan Sing is a novel about modern Mexico, the conflicting goals of development versus ecological preservation, and the aspirations and struggles of the indigenous people who service tourists at a beachfront hotel. Central to this tale are two brothers: the ambitious twenty-two-year old Antonio, also known as “The Maestro,” with his rippling abdomen and bursting biceps, is the favorite of many of the women at the hotel Oaxtepec where he is in charge of pool activitites. His sixteen-year-old, mute brother, Baldo (Antonio’s ward since their parents died), works as a drink boy, cutting open coconuts with a machete and serving guests poolside. Baldo, an ostensible gentle giant, is reminiscent of Lenny in Steinbeck’s classic, Of Mice and Men.