spageddy's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
katherinevarga's review
4.0
These short stories are SO GOOD and SO SAD. If I were ever to teach a class on writing short fiction, I would use these as textbook examples of how concrete tactile details can tell your story, and how intensely a writer can make you care for a character in just a few pages. My favorites were probably "Bring Brang Brung" and "Ida y Vuelta", both of which feature gay men in very difficult life situations. As amazing and rich as these stories were, I couldn't read more than one at a time because they are SO SAD. If you squint you'll find a few moments of hope, but for the most part these stories are littered with dying children and ruined lives and the writing is so powerful that already sad situations become even more sad. I would definitely recommend this to lovers of short fiction and good writing, but be prepared to be VERY SAD through most of it. (But it's worth it.)
I read the shortest story, "The Comeuppance of Lupe Rivera", while waiting in a long Chipotle line and it was a transcendent moment.
I read the shortest story, "The Comeuppance of Lupe Rivera", while waiting in a long Chipotle line and it was a transcendent moment.
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