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A review by ghostboyreads
Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"It wasn't a hundred coyotes with bullhorns howling at once and it wasn't the Devil himself. The thing that had screamed that night was the soul of a shattered, hurt mother facing the loss of everything she loved, and that is something even the Devil should fear."
Coyote Songs is a hideous, ugly beast of a novel. It's ugly in its honesty, unholy in its authenticity, sickening in its rawness. It's bleak and feral and unflinching, refusing readers any respite from its brutality, yet it's also so passionate and poetic and beautiful. It's a terrifying mosaic of a novel, a soulful ballad, an obliterating masterpiece. The Coyote shuttles children across the border. A boy seeks retribution for the death of his father. And, a woman offers colonizer blood up to the Mother of Chaos. These stories may start in isolation, but soon entwine themselves through sorrow and bloodshed. You won't find glorification of violence or celebration of death here, instead, you'll be faced with a sobering glimpse at lives torn to pieces. These tales are the songs of the desert. These tales are Coyote Songs.
There's little to look towards here, no shining light, no beacon to guide you towards safety. All there is, is violence, and heartbreak. Coyote Songs is, an entirely daunting novel to review. It's ceaseless and endless and forces us to witness terrible atrocities, it's a whirlpool of pain and turmoil, it's a story that hurts to read. Pushing yourself through this novel requires the patience of a saint, yet, it's so utterly worth it. The violence, the cruelty, the unjust nature of it all is only part of it, there's something so wonderfully, undeniably compelling, gorgeous and tender about this novel too. Iglesias is a master storyteller, one who weaves language together to create something full of artistry. Coyote Songs is a spiritual journey, it's utterly incredible. It's a true powerhouse of a novel, and is a vitally important read.
Coyote Songs is a hideous, ugly beast of a novel. It's ugly in its honesty, unholy in its authenticity, sickening in its rawness. It's bleak and feral and unflinching, refusing readers any respite from its brutality, yet it's also so passionate and poetic and beautiful. It's a terrifying mosaic of a novel, a soulful ballad, an obliterating masterpiece. The Coyote shuttles children across the border. A boy seeks retribution for the death of his father. And, a woman offers colonizer blood up to the Mother of Chaos. These stories may start in isolation, but soon entwine themselves through sorrow and bloodshed. You won't find glorification of violence or celebration of death here, instead, you'll be faced with a sobering glimpse at lives torn to pieces. These tales are the songs of the desert. These tales are Coyote Songs.
There's little to look towards here, no shining light, no beacon to guide you towards safety. All there is, is violence, and heartbreak. Coyote Songs is, an entirely daunting novel to review. It's ceaseless and endless and forces us to witness terrible atrocities, it's a whirlpool of pain and turmoil, it's a story that hurts to read. Pushing yourself through this novel requires the patience of a saint, yet, it's so utterly worth it. The violence, the cruelty, the unjust nature of it all is only part of it, there's something so wonderfully, undeniably compelling, gorgeous and tender about this novel too. Iglesias is a master storyteller, one who weaves language together to create something full of artistry. Coyote Songs is a spiritual journey, it's utterly incredible. It's a true powerhouse of a novel, and is a vitally important read.
"It was a solution that would keep him out of a cell. He would stay away from the fear and the anger and the guns and the drugs and the blood and even the damn cars and gasoline and women and wild nights. He thought about freedom - true freedom - often, and that sealed the deal. Freedom or death, and nothing would stand in his way."
Despite the almost gratuitous level of hideousness displayed in this novel, it's an alluring and enrapturing thing. Yes, it showcases some of the very worst parts of humanity, and yes, it captures so grotesquely the suffering of loss, but, nonetheless, it stands as one of literatures most important of novels. Coyote Songs is scorching hot and dusty, it will dry your soul out till it withers away, it's a Barrio Noir, after all. What becomes exceedingly clear when reading Coyote Songs is that the level of sincerity to these words is unrivalled, it' a devious and wicked little novel, it's something truly magical. It almost feels unfair, to refer to Coyote Songs as just a book, it's more than that, more than a novel, it's an event of biblical proportions, it's one of the most spirited and affecting works to grace the world of literature. Even after a second read, all these years later, I love it just as much.
"Tranquilos. I'll only hurt you a bit. You know how it is, esto lo hago por su propio bien, he said. The coyote brought his hand up and the brass knuckles caught the sun again, stabbed him in the eyes. He convinced himself that was a sign from God to carry on, to use the strange too on the kids in the name of salvation."