By Rolando Hinojosa
Publisher: Arte Público Press, Houston Texas
The book is composed of various vignettes designating a fictional Belken County. It is the fourth book of the Klail City Death Trip series and was initially published in 1986. The writing overall is abstract in that it discusses many characters that have lived and died within this county and this makes it intriguing in itself. The book gives you an overall sense of having lived in this era and setting. The character names used are quite interesting and this provides each vignette with an interesting flair.
The author covers the friendship between Cousins Jehú Malacara and Rafe Buenrostro and he brings in some true life situations with which the reader can identify. There are vignettes that cover life during the war and also during peace time. Some of the short stories cover people falling in love and yet others are more intense in that they transgress into selling your soul to the devil.
As stated earlier, the writing is abstract and there are many characters mentioned throughout the vignettes which can be a little overwhelming. What make the stories appealing is that the author has a great command of writing and this methodically guides the reader into the next story.
The book is easy to read. There are many small stories embedded within each of the vignettes that I would categorize them as sub-vignettes. This in turn is what makes the vignettes a fun read and captures the reader rather quickly.
If the author’s intent was to provide a sense of this fictional Belken County and all its inhabitants with all their successes and shortcomings and just everyday life, he did just that. The author quickly takes the reader into the lives of the characters that he has created and carefully has crafted his approach.
I must say that I haven’t read any of the other books in conjunction with this fictional county, and as a reader you may want to begin with the authors first books and read them in consequential order. This would definitely give the reader a better sense of the overall connection of characters within this fictional county. Persons that would be interested in this book are those that love short stories and a sense of everyday life. Don’t look for an overall standout plot or ARC within the book, but rather read each vignette with appreciation for its panache.
Overall I found the book an out of the ordinary read. A great plus is the book includes an English and Spanish version. What a great benefit for bilingual readers!
Source: Book was provided by author for review. It was reviewed by Corina Martinez Chaudhry.
