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Summary
Summary
A Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by Goodreads , CrimeReads , The Millions , StyleCaster , The EveryGirl , Sunset , Book Riot , and HipLatina
January Recommended Reading by The Washington Post , Kirkus Reviews , Book Riot, Nerd Daily, The Mary Sue, and Reading Between the Spines
"Mesmerizing...wildly entertaining...Gonzalez is a great storyteller, bringing both Texas and Mexico to the page with a mix of blood and magic...A must-read." -- The Boston Globe
A dazzling magical realism western in the vein of Cormac McCarthy meets Gabriel García Márquez, The Bullet Swallower follows a Mexican bandido as he sets off for Texas to save his family, only to encounter a mysterious figure who has come, finally, to collect a cosmic debt generations in the making.
In 1895, Antonio Sonoro is the latest in a long line of ruthless men. He's good with his gun and is drawn to trouble but he's also out of money and out of options. A drought has ravaged the town of Dorado, Mexico, where he lives with his wife and children, and so when he hears about a train laden with gold and other treasures, he sets off for Houston to rob it--with his younger brother Hugo in tow. But when the heist goes awry and Hugo is killed by the Texas Rangers, Antonio finds himself launched into a quest for revenge that endangers not only his life and his family, but his eternal soul.
In 1964, Jaime Sonoro is Mexico's most renowned actor and singer. But his comfortable life is disrupted when he discovers a book that purports to tell the entire history of his family beginning with Cain and Abel. In its ancient pages, Jaime learns about the multitude of horrific crimes committed by his ancestors. And when the same mysterious figure from Antonio's timeline shows up in Mexico City, Jaime realizes that he may be the one who has to pay for his ancestors' crimes, unless he can discover the true story of his grandfather Antonio, the legendary bandido El Tragabalas, The Bullet Swallower.
A family saga that's epic in scope and magical in its blood, and based loosely on the author's own great-grandfather, The Bullet Swallower tackles border politics, intergenerational trauma, and the legacies of racism and colonialism in a lush setting and stunning prose that asks who pays for the sins of our ancestors, and whether it is possible to be better than our forebears.
Author Notes
Elizabeth Gonzalez James is the author of the novel Mona at Sea , as well as the chapbook, Five Conversations About Peter Sellers . Her stories and essays have appeared in The Idaho Review , Southern Humanities Review , The Rumpus , StorySouth , PANK , and elsewhere, and have received numerous Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. Originally from South Texas, Elizabeth now lives with her family in Massachusetts.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Gonzalez (Mona at Sea) laces magical realism into her vivid epic of the Texas-Mexico border and the violence that shapes a family for generations. In 1895, Antonio Sonoro, a bandido living south of the border in the former mining town of Dorado, travels with his brother to Houston to rob a train. A shoot-out with Texas Rangers leaves his brother dead and Antonio with a hideous facial injury that earns him the sobriquet "El Tragabalas" (the bullet swallower). A parallel narrative set in 1964 follows Antonio's Mexican movie star grandson Jaime, who stumbles onto his grandfather's story and realizes its potential as a serious dramatic film role. The more Jaime learns about Antonio and about their family's perfidious history, the more he believes the film will allow him to redress the Sonoro name. Both story lines feature the mystical figure Remedio, a collector of blighted souls who has haunted countless generations of Sonoros. The novel's striking centerpiece follows Antonio and fellow desperado Peter Ainsley as they cut a swath across the border badlands. Their blazing guns and rich, Butch and Sundance--esque banter make Jaime's persistence in bringing their story to the big screen understandable. Readers will find this a refreshingly modern recasting of the classic western. Agent: Peter Steinberg, Fletcher & Co. (Jan.)
Library Journal Review
James's second novel (after Mona at Sea) is both the epic story of a family and a Western full of violence, machismo, and magical realism. In 1895, Antonio Sonoro leaves his drought-stricken Mexican village, crossing the Rio Grande to rob a train, with younger brother Hugo in tow. In the act, Hugo is killed by Texas Rangers, and Antonio is gravely injured. But he arises as El Tragabalas, the Bullet Swallower, on a quest for revenge that ranges across Texas and home again. In 1964 Mexico City, Jaime Sonoro is a movie star writing a script about his famous bandito grandfather. During his research, Jaime is mysteriously given a history of his family, going back generations. It's full of corruption, cruelty, and darkness and shakes up his comfortable life. In both timelines, the Sonoros are shadowed by the immortal Remedios, who must exact payment for generations of evil deeds. VERDICT This is a Western full of classic tropes, but it also surprises with its philosophical examination of generational trauma, justice and retribution, and racism and politics. The supernatural element ties together the timelines and the themes, adding resonance. With a powerfully drawn setting and viscerally convincing characters, James's novel is a strong addition to any general fiction collection.--Melanie Kindrachuk