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lep42's review
4.0
This was a good collection with quite a few authors whose work I would read again. My favorite piece was the first one, "The Face" by Santiago Roncagliolo. I also really liked that McSweeney's seemed to use an expansive definition of "crime fiction" which allowed for a variety of stories (in both both plot and style). Finally, I enjoyed the fantastic illustrations by Ciro Hernandez that accompanied each story.
Only three things detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book.
(1)I would have enjoyed it more though if I knew more about Latin American politics and culture
(2) I would have liked more gender balance in the authors selected. Only 2/13 pieces were by women.
(3) I really disliked, the third story, "Bitches" by Jorge Enrique Lage. The violence and sex felt unnecessarily gratuitous and the transsexual prostitute character was a trope/stereotype rather than a fully developed character."
Only three things detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book.
(1)I would have enjoyed it more though if I knew more about Latin American politics and culture
(2) I would have liked more gender balance in the authors selected. Only 2/13 pieces were by women.
(3) I really disliked, the third story, "Bitches" by Jorge Enrique Lage. The violence and sex felt unnecessarily gratuitous and the transsexual prostitute character was a trope/stereotype rather than a fully developed character."
alanfederman's review
4.0
Interesting collection of crime stories, written by Latin American authors, though not necessarily crime writers. There was a good variety of standard noir fare and some interest takes on the genre.
questingnotcoasting's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I've bought several McSweeney's issues from charity shops because they always seem so interesting but this is only the second one I've actually got round to reading so far. These are crime stories in quite a loose sense, some without resolutions or an on-page crime and many set in a generally lawless society, which was a different reading experience for me since I'm used to neat detective stories. The stories varied wildly in terms of my enjoyment but there were several I really liked and the letters section at the beginning was also interesting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Transphobia, Death, Violence, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, and Gun violence
samhoward's review
3.0
I really don't know how to rate this. I'm between three and four. I value the experience of having read Latin American translated crime fiction, it's just that I don't think that this is a genre for me.
But some of the stories were so beautiful and sharp, and others were shockingly violent and hard to get through, despite most of the stories averaging about 20 pages. I aim to give a whole book of Latin American crime fiction a try soon to give it another shot.
The collection itself, is of course, beautiful to look at and well done all together. Another creative and wonderful issue from McSweeney's.
But some of the stories were so beautiful and sharp, and others were shockingly violent and hard to get through, despite most of the stories averaging about 20 pages. I aim to give a whole book of Latin American crime fiction a try soon to give it another shot.
The collection itself, is of course, beautiful to look at and well done all together. Another creative and wonderful issue from McSweeney's.
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