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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
bonnieg's review against another edition
3.0
I read this collection of linked short stories because a dear friend loved it, and said it told his story. That friend is a Mexican American man in his early 30s who grew up in California and Texas with parents who were undocumented for a time, but later became permanent residents. This friend, like the author, went to an elite university and then moved to NYC where he found himself, but also felt himself separated from his family and his early life. Antonio has told me many times he often feels stuck between worlds, and feels guilty that he prefers what he categorizes as the "white life." I am an old white woman raised in the Midwest though I have spent my adult life mostly in large cities east of the Mississippi, and I have a lot to learn about the lives of young Latin American immigrants. This is particularly the case for those who become 1st gen students because some of them are my students and I cannot serve them if I do not understand them. And so when friends like Antonio recommend I read something that reflects their experiences and feelings I get right on that.
I share all of this because I celebrate that this book made my friend, and presumably other Latinx people feel seen and heard. When books do that for me it is just the best. There were things here that did resonate with me, but overall I have to say that I was not a huge fan of this one. It was clearly honest and from the heart, but the writing was mostly, as Tim Gunn would say, "student work." It is clunky and obvious and overwritten. The final three stories were actually painful to read (due to the writing not the pathos), especially "Library Island." The first two stories were the best, though both had really contrived setups. All in all a 2.5 rounded up because the intentions here are so pure (and sadly so obvious) I know it resonated with others. I think perhaps for younger readers this might work.
I share all of this because I celebrate that this book made my friend, and presumably other Latinx people feel seen and heard. When books do that for me it is just the best. There were things here that did resonate with me, but overall I have to say that I was not a huge fan of this one. It was clearly honest and from the heart, but the writing was mostly, as Tim Gunn would say, "student work." It is clunky and obvious and overwritten. The final three stories were actually painful to read (due to the writing not the pathos), especially "Library Island." The first two stories were the best, though both had really contrived setups. All in all a 2.5 rounded up because the intentions here are so pure (and sadly so obvious) I know it resonated with others. I think perhaps for younger readers this might work.
sylviruk's review against another edition
4.0
No lo terminé, me perdió.
Tal vez en otro momento vuelva a él. However, verán qué maravilla el primer cuento!
Tal vez en otro momento vuelva a él. However, verán qué maravilla el primer cuento!
sarahreadsaverylot's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
thatbookishwriter's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
rustleoftheturningpage's review
5.0
This five-star collection of 13 linked stories is rich in themes: aging, marriage and sex, death, class mobility, and ethnicity and xenophobia. Characters reappear from story to story and gain nuance as we see their encounters and relationships. Troncoso brings readers deep into his characters’ minds and bodies, and I found it easy to form empathetic connections with them. These characters felt human—complex, diverse, and dignified.
I was especially struck by the quality of the sex writing, of which there is a lot in this book. It’s both explicit and emotionally sophisticated. I enjoyed the writing overall, and Troncoso’s well-crafted sentences and paragraphs amount to a masterful prose style. The point of view dips into stream-of-consciousness several times, which engrossed me in the characters’ inner conflicts while remaining readable.
I loved this book and will definitely reread it. Longtime readers of Troncoso’s will recognize the blazing intelligence and compassion of his earlier works and appreciate the deepening of his sensibility. In my opinion, A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant’s Son is high-quality literary fiction that deserves a wide audience.
A couple interesting Q&As with the author:
https://madam-mayo.com/q-a-sergio-troncoso-author-of-a-peculiar-kind-of-immigrants-son-on-reading-as-if-your-life-depended-on-it-emily-dickenson-the-digital-revolution-and-the-texas-institute-of-letters/
http://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/2019/10/q-with-sergio-troncoso.html
I was especially struck by the quality of the sex writing, of which there is a lot in this book. It’s both explicit and emotionally sophisticated. I enjoyed the writing overall, and Troncoso’s well-crafted sentences and paragraphs amount to a masterful prose style. The point of view dips into stream-of-consciousness several times, which engrossed me in the characters’ inner conflicts while remaining readable.
I loved this book and will definitely reread it. Longtime readers of Troncoso’s will recognize the blazing intelligence and compassion of his earlier works and appreciate the deepening of his sensibility. In my opinion, A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant’s Son is high-quality literary fiction that deserves a wide audience.
A couple interesting Q&As with the author:
https://madam-mayo.com/q-a-sergio-troncoso-author-of-a-peculiar-kind-of-immigrants-son-on-reading-as-if-your-life-depended-on-it-emily-dickenson-the-digital-revolution-and-the-texas-institute-of-letters/
http://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/2019/10/q-with-sergio-troncoso.html