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emmonsannae's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
When he had him gathered in his arms he rose and turned. Goddamn whores, he said. He was crying and the tears ran on his angry face and he called out to the broken day against them all and he called out to God to see what was before his eyes. Look at this, he called. Do you see? Do you see?
It’s been a while since a book gutted me like this one did. This is a well worked tragedy at every level of its story. I loved John Grady Cole SO MUCH. So much!! But the plot and prose are so masterfully crafted that you know right away where the story is headed. There is a sense that both John Grady and Magdalena are too pure and idealistic for the world that is coming upon them, which gives a very American feeling to a very Shakespearean plot. One thing I’ve really enjoyed about the Border Trilogy is that these novels have an American soul and that’s where they really get their tragedy. It’s also where they get their hope, which gives the novel its ending and which cemented its greatness for me.
The greatest tragic force in this novel is that it forces readers outside of the novel. The microcosm of suffering and injustice in the story (women forced into sexual slavery, men killed in pursuit of virtue, the downtrodden discarded and the evil triumphant) is so thoroughly drawn out that you can’t help imagining the vastness of that same nonfictional suffering and injustice. C.M. is pressing questions about God and fate onto readers, so when Billy asks his question above we can’t help but ask it too. Ironically, I thought the novel’s strongest (and perhaps accidental) response is when John Grady goes to confront the pimp who murdered Magdalena—the pimp says: “You are like the whores from the campo, farmboy. To believe that craziness is sacred. A special grace. A special touch. A partaking of the godhead.” Eduardo is derisive. But when beaten people like Magdalena and John Grady hold onto hope and strive for goodness, ultimately in their suffering they partake of the Godhead in a way that gives their lives a meaning neither Eduardo nor anyone else in the novel can fathom. It is “a special grace.” A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it indeed! Basically, this book ruined me, and no review will ever do it justice but it is so so excellent!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Death, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Police brutality, Violence, Rape, and Trafficking
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