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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
5.0
I loved this. A blend of magical realism and cowboy Western, but recast to actually examine and expose the glorification of violence (and particularly colonial violence) in the genre. James explores the legacies of violence among colonizing people, and through an Old-Testament-retribution storyline, questions if redemption is possible and what responsibility future generations have. I loved how easily the story moved between our two historical timelines (the late 1800s and the mid 1960s) and how our grim reaper shadows the story literally and metaphorically. I loved the use of an actual narrating storyteller within the 1960s timeline, as it creates a fascinating contrast between the actual depiction of history and the main character's attempt to romanticize it for his own absolution. At times, it felt like James was speaking to us directly through this storyteller, as the 1800s storyline is largely inspired by her own ancestor, and you can see how she is using this narrative to question her own inheritance.
This is routinely billed as Cormac McCarthy meets Gabriel García Márquez, and my one quibble with this is that the author's perspective is so radically different than these authors, and the characterization of the leading men in this story underscore her efforts to avoid romanticization or glorification of patriarchal traditions and colonial violence. These men are pathetic, greedy, indecisive, immature, and, eventually (finally) reflective and seeking. It's not just a story of fate, adventure and family curses, it's a dismantling of the cowboy.
This is routinely billed as Cormac McCarthy meets Gabriel García Márquez, and my one quibble with this is that the author's perspective is so radically different than these authors, and the characterization of the leading men in this story underscore her efforts to avoid romanticization or glorification of patriarchal traditions and colonial violence. These men are pathetic, greedy, indecisive, immature, and, eventually (finally) reflective and seeking. It's not just a story of fate, adventure and family curses, it's a dismantling of the cowboy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Stalking, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Infidelity, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Pregnancy
ginabelle's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think I was hoping for more magical realism aspects and less religion but I admire how this book grappled with the question of how to grapple and take responsibility for the sins of the past. It was missing something for me, but I can’t put my finger on it right now…but it was overall good!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
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