Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - The Bullet Swallower

Title: The Bullet Swallower
Author: Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: January 23, 2024

I received a complimentary eARC from Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Dark • Bloody • Entertaining

📖 S Y N O P S I S

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.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I don't recall how The Bullet Swallower ended up on my radar, yet it was on my list of 2024 releases to check out. It took me longer to get to than I originally expected, partly because I was waiting to borrow the audio version from the library. The synopsis sounded like something I would do better tandem reading, so that's what I did.

Spanning generations, the story is told from two separate timelines and tackles racism, border politics, intergenerational trauma, and the lasting impact of colonization, all while being loosely based on the author's own grandfather. It's a story of revenge and redemption at its core, while also telling the history of a cursed family.

The action scenes were well developed and intense, however, there was definitely a lull in the pace between these scenes. The magical realism aspect took me by surprise, yet it fits the tale. However, my main issues with the storyline is how this magical element didn't feel as fully developed as it needed to be. In my opinion, if you're adding this type of element to a story it needs to be done with intent and full development.

The Bullet Swallower is certainly entertaining, yet it somehow left a lot to be desired. The plot itself wasn't highly memorable and I'll be hard pressed to recall much about it down the road. I can understand the polarizing reviews on this one, as it definitely isn't going to be for everyone. The writing itself was solid, so I would definitely be willing to read something else written by Elizabeth Gonzalez James in the future.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• family sagas
• westerns
• magical realism elements

⚠️ CW: violence, gun violence, murder, death, child death, animal death, grief, blood, gore, racism, racial slurs, colonialism, injury/injury detail, xenophobia, alcohol, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, suicide, pregnancy, infidelity, police brutality, torture, cursing

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"The past is not so far away as you might think, nor the future for that matter. No man lives free from history."

"Kindness is its own reward," she said, "but cruelty is a self-inflicted wound."

Content Warnings

sydneynorman's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

4.0

Finished reading: June 24th 2024

"Time does not move forward. It circles, spirals, pivots, and repeats. Echoes of another's memories live within us, impelling us around and around, ensuring that the story closes itself, that the pattern resounds, that the picture from up high is a shape infinitely repeating."

REVIEW

[Family sagas can go both ways for me, but I couldn't help but adding The Bullet Swallower after reading the blurb. Western meets magical realism; such an intriguing combination! I've seen this story being compared to Gabriel Garcia Marquez... A dangerous comparison, but I think in this case it's justified as it does have that same lyrical prose and magical feel about it all. The magical realism itself isn't too overpowering though, and instead The Bullet Swallower is mainly a mix of a family saga spanning generations, a proper western including your bandit anti-hero and a story about revenge and redemption. The story uses a dual timeline structure, switching between 1895 featuring Antonio Sonoro (El Tragabalas) and 1964 with his grandson Jaime Sonoro. Dual timelines can also go both ways for me, and I did prefer Antonio's POV as it was simply more riveting, but I liked how the two completemented each other. The switches between the timelines were a bit abrupt at times and the pace itself was slower than expected, but as a whole there is no doubt that the story was still able to keep me under its spell until the very end. The writing itself was beautiful, and one to be savoured instead of rushed through in order to fully appreciate it. I know this isn't my usual read, but I'm so glad I gave The Bullet Swallower a chance!

Content Warnings

jesstaurant's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

nicoleisalwaysreading's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-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

4.0

Such a fun and engaging read. While this story does grapple with heavier topics such as capacity for evil, legacies of cruelty, responsibilties of love, and grief, most of the time it is an action-packed Western filled with gunfights, train robberies, and brushes with Death. I loved the tinge of magical realism and split narrative between 1895 and 1964.

Content Warnings

m_egg_o's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

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