Candelaria Rivera is a 12-year-old Mexican girl in 1910, fleeing to America with her family to escape the upcoming Mexican Revolution. Yan Chi Wong is a 20-year-old Chinese man also fleeing to America to escape from the violent uprisings in China after a devastating loss. Their paths cross in El Paso, TX, when Candelaria finds a job working in Yan Chi’s restaurant. While they’ve escaped conflict in their home countries, they encounter new struggles in making a life for themselves in a new home strife with racism towards foreigners. Candlelight Bridge by Cara Lopez Lee follows the captivating journey of two immigrants from two completely different countries, who encounter similar obstacles and together try to forge their own version of the American Dream.
Book
Candlelight Bridge spans about 20 years, beginning with the simmering wars in both Candelaria’s Mexico and Yan Chi’s China. The Riveras travel for weeks across the Chihuahuan desert, avoiding soldiers and finding allies. They finally make it to America, but suffer great loss along the way. Yan Chi was betrothed to his friend’s sister; but as their wedding date approached, bandits kidnapped her and demanded ransom. Unfortunately, his fiancé was brutally murdered, igniting the spark for Yan Chi’s trajectory to America. During the time where Chinese workers came to America to build the railroads, Yan Chi believed this was the best option. Unfortunately, the industry no longer needed the work by the time he arrived. So he lied his way into the land of the free.
A few years later, Candelaria gets a job as a waitress at Yan Chi’s restaurant in order to help support her family. Facing pending eviction, Candelaria and Yan Chi decide that they will get married and start a family so that Yan Chi can support the Riveras. Even though they evaded one problem, staying in America brought more obstacles over the next two decades for this Mexican-Chinese family. They continued to face threats of racism, violence, deportation, financial security, and even fidelity. Yet despite all of this, they never stop fighting to remain in America.
Review
Lopez Lee successfully portrays the plight that immigrants in America faced in the early 1900s in Candlelight Bridge. By juxtaposing both stories that become one, readers see two different versions of the same dream. The Riveras’ courage and resilience are admirable – even more so given the multiple tragedies they endure. Yan Chi, while clever and determined, manipulates and mistreats others in his quest for respect and success.
That being said, the story’s slow pace rendered it difficult to engage in at times. And moments that should have been emotionally powerful felt cut short. My heart broke for what the characters endured, but I felt a sincere connection with only a few of these moments. However, due to the possibly triggering content (i.e. death, miscarriage, sexual assault, racism), I can see why the author didn’t linger too long on these scenes. Unfortunately, I think she sacrificed that deeper connection as a result. The ending was a bit anticlimactic, but if she plans on continuing with Calendaria and Yan Chi’s stories, then it seems to fit.
Cara Lopez Lee joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about her research process and approaching difficult themes in her book. Keep an ear out for the interview and pick up a copy of Candlelight Bridge, available now.
