Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James

6 reviews

deedireads's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

All my reviews live at https://deedireads.com/

What a genre-mashup delight this book was! Part antihero western, part dual-timeline family saga, with a sprinkling of magical realism (including a very mysterious book), The Bullet Swallower has something for everyone.

In 1895, Antonio Sonoro’s train robbery goes wrong, which sets him off on a revenge tour through Texas. Meanwhile, in Mexico City in 1964, his movie-star grandson Jaime finds himself in possession of a mysterious book and with a mysterious visitor. This was inspired by the author’s family history and lore (definitely read the author’s note!), and it made for a pretty unputdownable story. I gobbled it up.

So yes, there is a lot going on here, but it never actually feels that way. Elizabeth Gonzalez James combines elements perfectly and leaves readers thinking deeply about the legacy of a family history, who is responsible for the sins of our fathers, and our generational “curse.”

The audiobook was also very well done! I switched back and forth between print and audio and sometimes listened while I read, and I found the story ultra-consumable in any format. Lee Osorio (who also performed parts of Chain-Gang All-Stars and many other books) was excellent.
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gabi_tron's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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yourbookishbff's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this. A blend of magical realism and cowboy Western, but recast to actually examine and expose the glorification of violence (and particularly colonial violence) in the genre. James explores the legacies of violence among colonizing people, and through an Old-Testament-retribution storyline, questions if redemption is possible and what responsibility future generations have. I loved how easily the story moved between our two historical timelines (the late 1800s and the mid 1960s) and how our grim reaper shadows the story literally and metaphorically. I loved the use of an actual narrating storyteller within the 1960s timeline, as it creates a fascinating contrast between the actual depiction of history and the main character's attempt to romanticize it for his own absolution. At times, it felt like James was speaking to us directly through this storyteller, as the 1800s storyline is largely inspired by her own ancestor, and you can see how she is using this narrative to question her own inheritance.

This is routinely billed as Cormac McCarthy meets Gabriel García Márquez, and my one quibble with this is that the author's perspective is so radically different than these authors, and the characterization of the leading men in this story underscore her efforts to avoid romanticization or glorification of patriarchal traditions and colonial violence. These men are pathetic, greedy, indecisive, immature, and, eventually (finally) reflective and seeking. It's not just a story of fate, adventure and family curses, it's a dismantling of the cowboy.
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crows_in_a_trenchcoat's review

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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litoreads's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to read this book before its pub date. Elizabeth Gonzalez James, the author, has been incredibly gracious in acknowledging my online posts about it while I was immersed in its pages. I am thrilled to declare that, for me, this marks another five-star read this year.

The Bullet Swallower delves into themes of generational trauma, antiheroes, and the significance of family. It skillfully weaves these elements into a captivating narrative of cowboy bandits, a train heist, a plot for
vengeance
, and supernatural forces, all wrapped up in exquisite prose. Gonzalez James dedicated several years to crafting this masterpiece, evident in the meticulous research and careful selection of every detail.

Among the many memorable lines in this book, the descriptions of nature's beauty, colors, and the poignant depiction of
Antonio's taste of death
in one of the final chapters stood out:

"
He let himself be swallowed up by the lights, to be slowly disassembled into a million fragments and absorbed. And he didn't so much think his final thought as he knew it instantly to be true: Death is the process of becoming light. Red, orange, yellow. He let himself be refracted. Green, blue, indigo. The last thing to be dissolved would be his consciousness and this he allowed, turning himself into the purest shade of violet, a late spring jacaranda petal borne on a warm wind into a darkening sunset. He flew directly into the light, adding his purple to the multitude residing there, and he was pleased that he could make the colors richer for those he left behind.
"

The knowledge that this story is rooted in the author's own family history adds an extra layer of excitement, prompting me to reflect on my own family background because my last name is Villa. While there's a playful family joke about being related to the famous Pancho Villa, despite his actual last name being Arango, the connection remains intriguing.

Whether you're a fan of cowboys, adventure, contemplation of life's meaning, or simply seeking an entertaining read that imparts fascinating facts about Mexico and Texas, like the reef road, this book is a must-read. If you identify as Latino, especially Mexican, the connection to the narrative is even more profound.

With supernatural elements, a no-bullsh*t bruja character, a fun
British
sidekick/partner and light fantastical touches, this story introduces an antihero character you will root for until the end, and it might even make you cry like I did. I think I can confidently say Antonio Sonoro is one of my favorite characters of all time.

I cannot emphasize enough the ✨excellence✨ of Gonzalez James' writing: descriptive without excess, perfectly paced, and able to encapsulate a fully-formed narrative with well-rounded characters and an adventurous plot within fewer than 300 pages. I sincerely hope you enjoy this book as much as I did when it comes out later this month on January 23rd.

5/5 stars.
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