Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida by Victor Martinez

Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida won the National Book award for Young Adult Fiction in 1996. Martinez follows 14 year old Manny in observations about his life in a scrubby California town. Manny really is more of an observer, bringing the reader up to speed on his poor, dysfunctional family, from his alcoholic father to his long suffering and cleaning obsessed mother. Manny's older brother and sister are not exactly help either.

This family drama was tense for most of the book, through joblessness, hunger, abusive arguments and even a miscarriage. Yet I find it hard to call the novel a coming of age story in the way that many others have. As I mentioned above, Manny does not really participate much throughout the narrative, but rather recalls as things happen to him and to his family. I don't feel like there was much of a change between the Manny you meet at the beginning of the book and the Manny at the end.

The narrative itself is very Wonder Years, recalled mostly as memories from what feels like a man much further in his life than his character in the book.

Overall, it was an interesting to read, but not one I feel will stay with me.