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A review by lolaslalaland
The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
3.0
The story of a man who loses her daughter to cancer and then his wife. Surrounded by dept and looking for anything to fill in the void, Mario takes up part-time murder until it gets him involved with the Mexican cartel and he starts to learn about different things that go bump in the night.
Pros:
✅ compelling dark tone
✅ discussions on racism, bigotry, poverty and the American Dream
✅ very graphic (body horror)
✅ believable tragic characters
Cons:
❌ a lot of elements or character interactions ended up having no impact on the story or coming up at a later point
❌ very repetitive at times (although it is understandable as Mario has been through a very traumatic loss, I just got a little bored)
❌ I wasn't sure if this book had paranormal/fantastical elements to it or not, I was often very confused in anything side-plot that came up, but it didn't matter anyways because I wouldn't ever really come back to be important
❌ lacking in side character depth
This was a very powerful read and I definitely thought it was incredibly depressing and tragic but with such an important message behind it. It could have been great with a little more time spent on side plot and whatever those extra elements that never really went anywhere: the guy at the bar talking about his brother, the strange old deceased neighbor apparition, the creatures underground (which only really get some kind of guessed explanation by the end), and the bruja lady from the Mexican cartel. I feel like if more time was spent developing those thing and less time on Mario remembering his wife's smooth skin this book could have been much better. Still a good book though!
Pros:
✅ compelling dark tone
✅ discussions on racism, bigotry, poverty and the American Dream
✅ very graphic (body horror)
✅ believable tragic characters
Cons:
❌ a lot of elements or character interactions ended up having no impact on the story or coming up at a later point
❌ very repetitive at times (although it is understandable as Mario has been through a very traumatic loss, I just got a little bored)
❌ I wasn't sure if this book had paranormal/fantastical elements to it or not, I was often very confused in anything side-plot that came up, but it didn't matter anyways because I wouldn't ever really come back to be important
❌ lacking in side character depth
This was a very powerful read and I definitely thought it was incredibly depressing and tragic but with such an important message behind it. It could have been great with a little more time spent on side plot and whatever those extra elements that never really went anywhere: the guy at the bar talking about his brother, the strange old deceased neighbor apparition, the creatures underground (which only really get some kind of guessed explanation by the end), and the bruja lady from the Mexican cartel. I feel like if more time was spent developing those thing and less time on Mario remembering his wife's smooth skin this book could have been much better. Still a good book though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Body horror, Drug abuse, and Addiction
Moderate: Drug use