After only reading the first 100 pages, I have to say that I am really enjoying this book, mainly because it is structured in a way that each character’s story is told as it being the main story, but at the same time it is intertwining with the lives of the other characters. I have always enjoyed watching films that have this element, like Crash (2004), where a group of seemingly unconnected individuals ends up being interwoven through a series of interactions and experiences in the city. Viramontes does a great job in introducing a new character in each chapter (at least, in the first five chapters) and revealing an interaction they have with the other characters.  The book talks about the past of each character, and their growing up, and then goes back to the present, and talks about their current issues, but I think that the way Viramontes structured it adds more emphasis to the characters’ past because it is insight into why each character acts the way they do.

For some reason as I am reading this book, I feel a strong resemblance of this description of East Los Angeles with that of the Hill in Gods Go Begging. I think (so far by what I’ve read) that this book is really similar to Gods Go Begging. The way that the empty homes are described, the dead dog lying on the street, the experiences that each character has had, and the mention of Vietnam and Mousie’s brother being brought back in pieces add to the similar elements that they share.

I do think that this book should be considered Chicano Gothic because all of the Gothic books that we have read so far all possess elements dealing with some sort of spiritual or religious aspect, and in Their Dogs Came With Them, that element is present, especially in the chapter where Viramontes is writing about Tranquila and her parents’ experiences, as well as Tranquila’s hopes for her future (relgion-wise).

There have been four (main) characters introduced to the reader so far: Turtle, Ermila, Tranquila, and Ana. Turtle, a homeless gang member, 18, whose brother has gone off to fight in the Vietnam War. She spends her days searching for food and attempting to arise conflict with anybody who she pleases. Ermilia, 15, lives with her grandparents because her mother left her, and she has to deal with many physical and psychological problems in her day to life. Tranquila is the daughter of missionaries who run the Little Brothers of Poor Rest Home, and she is seeking more understanding about her religion and future. Finally there’s Ana, who has to take care of her mentally ill brother. Each of these girls are extremely unique and different from each other, but all share a struggle: living in East Los Angeles, dealing with their own personal problems, while also having to deal with curfews, ID checks, harassment, and the construction of the freeways.

Although the introduction of Ana is after Part I, my interpretation of the book being structured into parts is that Part I was meant as the introduction of each of the four girls, Part II will be how the girls’ stories will interweave, Part III will be each girl dealing with their own dilemmas again, and Part IV will be the conclusion of each of their stories.