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yikesbmg's review
3.0
Good book of short stories. some main observations:
-This was the first book by a male author I’ve read in a while and it is so, so, so clear that the author is a dude. Mainly because all of the women in the book lack depth, are presented for characters to ogle at or for their entertainment, and are not focal (with the exception of the last story, though even Clarisa lacked true depth) at all. I accepted it as a piece of this book but was disappointed that Alarcón didn’t do more.
-A lot of the stories felt empty or spacious. This isn’t a bad thing: I think it highlighted the anxiety tied to the city or provincial landscape that the characters felt. The whole landscape isn’t rich or filled because the characters are desperately trying to figure things out and haven’t found answers yet. l
-The stories about father son relationships were the most interesting. The commentary on how migration (to urban centers and presumably to the US) had decimated towns was interesting as well, and well described. (Pretty sure this is the sly political tone the synopsis refers to..)
I would recommend this book to someone wanting a quick read, a Latin American vibe, and a somber tone.
-This was the first book by a male author I’ve read in a while and it is so, so, so clear that the author is a dude. Mainly because all of the women in the book lack depth, are presented for characters to ogle at or for their entertainment, and are not focal (with the exception of the last story, though even Clarisa lacked true depth) at all. I accepted it as a piece of this book but was disappointed that Alarcón didn’t do more.
-A lot of the stories felt empty or spacious. This isn’t a bad thing: I think it highlighted the anxiety tied to the city or provincial landscape that the characters felt. The whole landscape isn’t rich or filled because the characters are desperately trying to figure things out and haven’t found answers yet. l
-The stories about father son relationships were the most interesting. The commentary on how migration (to urban centers and presumably to the US) had decimated towns was interesting as well, and well described. (Pretty sure this is the sly political tone the synopsis refers to..)
I would recommend this book to someone wanting a quick read, a Latin American vibe, and a somber tone.
janessakat's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
lattelibrarian's review
5.0
If you asked me what my favorite short story is from this collection, I don't know if I'd be able to tell you. What I can tell you though, are the short stories that I remember now, a month after I've read the book. I remember "The Thousands," "The Ballad of Rocky Rontal," and "The King is Always Above the People." I remember the way I was reading this on the bus on my way to work, the sun glinting and lightly reflecting off the pages. I remembering finishing each short story with a feeling of satisfaction, disappointment, hope, and depression.
There are so many stories, and so many conflicting emotions. There are conflicting politics, conflicting stances, conflicting families, conflicting dreams. All of them are more real than the other, and these stories swirl together to create something I only wish I could think of. Alarcón truly has a talent that only few can even begin to hope to achieve.
All I want to do is hand this book to others and say: Here. Read this. It will change you. I don't know how you will change, but you will change. Please read this book.
Review cross-listed here!
There are so many stories, and so many conflicting emotions. There are conflicting politics, conflicting stances, conflicting families, conflicting dreams. All of them are more real than the other, and these stories swirl together to create something I only wish I could think of. Alarcón truly has a talent that only few can even begin to hope to achieve.
All I want to do is hand this book to others and say: Here. Read this. It will change you. I don't know how you will change, but you will change. Please read this book.
Review cross-listed here!
audaciaray's review
3.0
As I read these stories about men and boys doing fucked up things, I kept wondering: are these stories about toxic masculinity or an embodiment of toxic masculinity? I don’t know that I found the answer exactly but I wasn’t into it.
pearloz's review
4.0
Great collection of stories that never really got into the realm of the exceptional. They were fine capable stories that all seemed to have at least a tangential relationship to the Thousands--and a lot of the stories' protagonist feature death, someone working in a copy shop, and mostly a man sort of blithely floating through life at the whims of circumstance or other people. I'm thinking particularly of Hernan in "The Auroras." Trying to escape his old life, he falls in with woman who seduces him and lets him move in--and in the course of a few days or weeks, begins to prostitute him. When he realizes it, he's "Oh. Well. Whatever." about it.
The Boy from "Republica and Grau" is of course at the whims of his father, and at times, the Blind Man, as they play a sort of chess match with only the boy as a piece.
The "The Provincials" main character is a sort of neglected son as his brother, in America, receives much of their father's admiration, and sort of adopts his brother's history as his own when speaking to his fathers friends...to impress them?
There's a lot of 'escape' in this stories as well, a sort of mid-20s fear of attachment that permeates some of these stories--"The King Is Always Above The People" and "The Auroras" are literally about the protagonist running away from his life and responsibilities." In "The King..." his running away is aided by parents willing to help his pregnant fiance raise their child, his given license to skate through life a little more.
"Abraham Lincoln Has Been Shot" was kinda silly.
The best story was "The Bridge" about the blind couple falling off the bridge. It was interesting, it meandered, it was touching, and had an investigative element to it I really enjoyed.
The Boy from "Republica and Grau" is of course at the whims of his father, and at times, the Blind Man, as they play a sort of chess match with only the boy as a piece.
The "The Provincials" main character is a sort of neglected son as his brother, in America, receives much of their father's admiration, and sort of adopts his brother's history as his own when speaking to his fathers friends...to impress them?
There's a lot of 'escape' in this stories as well, a sort of mid-20s fear of attachment that permeates some of these stories--"The King Is Always Above The People" and "The Auroras" are literally about the protagonist running away from his life and responsibilities." In "The King..." his running away is aided by parents willing to help his pregnant fiance raise their child, his given license to skate through life a little more.
"Abraham Lincoln Has Been Shot" was kinda silly.
The best story was "The Bridge" about the blind couple falling off the bridge. It was interesting, it meandered, it was touching, and had an investigative element to it I really enjoyed.
manaledi's review
4.0
Alarcón is one of my favorite authors and these stories are yet another example of why. He writes humanity in all its complexity in places so familiar to be identifiable but also of a multitude.
zellm's review
3.0
As with many short story collections, this was a mixed bag for me. Some were fantastic, others felt nonsensical or unnecessary. There were a couple that bored me so much I had trouble getting through them. Alarcon has a really interesting style where you don't quite know what is real, and it is employed consistently with varied results. I think he has the potential to write some great things.
kiramke's review
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I really like Alarcon's style, and this collection is very unified and very him. Kind of sad and searching?