cbr17bingo Border
Now this was an interesting one. Mexican Gothic is my jam, and I thought that this would be along that vein, but it turned out to be definitely its own thing – an intriguing cross between fictionalized family lore and magical realism. And when I looked up the translation of Part Two – El Tragabalas, I discover that it is the book’s title in Spanish, but it is also the title of a fairly well known Mexican movie from the mid-60s, and the plot is nothing whatsoever like the events of this book. Well now. Quite a puzzle.
The time and setting go back and forth from Northern Mexico and Texas in the 1890s to Mexico City in the 1960s. In the former setting, Antonio Sonoro is a desperately poor man with a family to feed. Drought is widespread, and he hears of gold being transported over the border into Texas. Taking his brother with him, they set off to rob a train, or at least one of the cars, but it does not go well and he loses his brother and picks up three ruthless Texas rangers, determined to hunt him down. On the other hand he gains an ally, a British lady’s man who also happens to be a dead shot, with no love for the Rangers himself.
In the second timeline, we meet Jaime Sonoro, beloved Mexican movie star, and as it happens, Antonio’s grandson. Jaime has encountered a disgusting old tome (it literally reeks) covering his family’s history and legacy. He tries to rid himself of it, but it won’t let him alone. Literally. Even when he tries to trash it, it will pop up on his desk the next morning. Then there is Remedio, who pops up in both time lines from time to time. If he works at it, he can hold on to human form for periods of a time. Think the Grim Reaper, but with a certain amount of, erm, discretion.
And all these threads tie up nicely at the end. Violent and gory, but very entertaining.