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A review by nuevecuervos
Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias
4.0
While reading this book, I found myself thinking of Oyebuchi's Riot Baby, which I read earlier this year. There's a lot of real pain and a lot of struggle porn intertwined with urban fantasy in a manner that enhances the message being put out: these traditionally marginalized people yearn for better, and dealing them further injustice is a sure way to create monsters. I myself as a pocha Chicana mish-mash who grew up speaking Spanglish in a lower-middle-class suburb of Los Angeles filled with immigrants of several colors and ethnicities personally identify and recognize much of the pain here more closely than I did Oyebuchi's reflections, but they're both urban legends born out of the unique struggles that come with life in their respective margins.
The big difference here is that the protagonists in Coyote Songs don't come out on top. They act out their pain, ostensibly pushed by their nouveau Llorona to seek revenge, but in the end, there's no hope, redemption, or even truly satisfying vengeance in the style of a relatable villain origin story to be had here.
This isn't to say that the book is poorly written; it is in fact gorgeous, and I love the flow of English to Spanish and back again wherever it seemed necessary, just like in real life. I deeply relished being able to run through it, knowing it was written specifically for people just like me, and I didn't realize how much I needed this kind of thing until I had it. So, if you want that kind of experience, please read this, but know you will not walk away uplifted.
The big difference here is that the protagonists in Coyote Songs don't come out on top. They act out their pain, ostensibly pushed by their nouveau Llorona to seek revenge, but in the end, there's no hope, redemption, or even truly satisfying vengeance in the style of a relatable villain origin story to be had here.
This isn't to say that the book is poorly written; it is in fact gorgeous, and I love the flow of English to Spanish and back again wherever it seemed necessary, just like in real life. I deeply relished being able to run through it, knowing it was written specifically for people just like me, and I didn't realize how much I needed this kind of thing until I had it. So, if you want that kind of experience, please read this, but know you will not walk away uplifted.