mtstellens 's review for:

The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea

4.0

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I was lucky enough to read this right before going to see the author speak. I was really glad I prioritized reading this so that I could hear more about what parts came from his real life. Hearing about how this was inspired by his own half brother and other people in his family after their death really makes the piece seem like a memorial to his fathers side of the family. I really like family explorations, and this one was very interesting in that it took place over a short period of time. I think it worked, there were so many characters and other things going on that it still felt like an epic. We also catch this family at a turning point, Big Angel (the patriarch of the family and Urrea’s half brother analogue) is organizing his mothers funeral as well as his birthday while also facing his own mortality. Not all of the characters are likable, but they are real and memorable. I think my favorite scenes are the ones with the miniature city, sweet at one point and hilarious when they are brought back around.