Hotel Juarez: Stories, Rooms and Loops

by Daniel Chacon

In this collection of short and flash fiction, Daniel Chacon examines peoples' interactions with each other, the impact of identity and the importance of literature, art and music. In one story, a girl remembers her father, who taught her to love books and libraries. "A book can whisper at you, call at you from the shelves. Sometimes a book can find you. Seek you out and ask you to come and play," he told her. Years later, she finds herself pulling an assortment from the shelves, randomly reading passages from different books and entering into the landscapes as if each book were a wormhole. Somehow one excerpt seems to be a continuation of another, connecting in the way that birds do when they fly from a tree to the roof of a house, making "an idea, a connection, a tree-house."
Misconceptions about people, the responsibility of the artist and conflicts about identity pepper these stories that take place in the U.S. and abroad. In "Mais, Je Suis Chicano," a Mexican American living in Paris identifies himself as Chicano, rather than American. "It's not my fault I was born on the U.S. side of the border," he tells a French Moroccan woman when she discovers that he really is American, a word she says "as if it could be replaced with murderer or child molester."
Many of the stories are very short and contain images that flash in the reader's mind, loop back and connect to earlier ones. Other stories are longer, like rooms, into which Chacon invites the reader to enter, look around and hang out. And some are more traditional. But whether short or long, conventional or experimental, the people in these pieces confront issues of imagination and self. In "Sabado Gigante," a young boy who is "as big as a gorilla" must face his best friend's disappointment that in spite of his size he's a terrible athlete, and even more confounding, he prefers playing dolls to baseball. Whether in Paris or Ciudad Juarez, Chacon reveals his characters at their most vulnerable in these powerful and rewarding stories, anti-stories and loops.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

197 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2013

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

[Jay Koester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm about six years late to this party, but I loved this one. As the other reviewers said, it really builds and builds into something magical.

Some excerpts from the final story in the book:

The professor bought a hot cup of steaming corn, and he found a spot next to an old man. He sat down. He closed his eyes and wanted to be in Mexico. People often said that Juárez wasn't really Mexico, that it was too corrupted by the US, too close to Uncle Sam to be authentic ... Bullshit. Only a gringo would say that Juárez wasn't really Mexico. He opened his eyes, and sure enough, he was in Mexico.

He always crossed, because he refused to be denied Mexico when he lived so close to it; Mexico, so far from God and so close to his front door.

[Octavio Solis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelous collection of stories that test the limits of perception and reality. They recount moments in the lives of El Pasoans and Juarenses that seem so familiar to me, and yet they are given that unique cast that Daniel Chacon has. You can feel the stories taking you to places you didn’t know were in your consciousness. I really enjoyed reading them, savoring their little surprises. They’re quite instructive for young writers like us.

Best among them are Hotel Juarez, which is divided into titles chapters, and Mujeres Matadas, a story that swirls from realism to a subjective surreality that is dizzying.

[Jeff Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, this collection of stories and sketches is destabilizing and opaque, but it gathers power as it goes. The feeling of the porousness of the border is exceptionally well-captured in a myriad of ways.

[Ginny Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed Part V, Hotel Juárez. I am familiar with the area, and so my memories could fill in most of the blanks. 6/2024

[Jennifer Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of stories. Quite a surprise of a book. Not what I expected.Well written with many references to El Paso.

Slow beginning, then picked up to "can't put it down... My Book club really enjoyed it since we all had experiences in Cd. Juarez

[Liz Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite podcasts is Words on a Wire with Daniel Chacón, and often Benjamin Alire Sáenz. I love Daniel's voice, passion for writing and support of fellow writers. This is the first book of his I've read, but it won't be the last. I found these stories really growing on me and I love how little bits intertwine. There are some heart stopping one off stories too, the one with the spiders is one that comes straight to mind. Short story writing is tough, as you often need to compress quite a bit in for full effect. Chacón does compression well and manages to pack an often unsuspecting punch.

[Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You see a book with Juarez in the title and you expect a violent ride at the least. This collection of stories starts out pretty mellow. Magical, mystical and poetic. The guy has a nice way with words. As the stories progress they do get a mite darker. And also more reality based. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has an interest in matters of the border as I do.

[S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one down for work. (Yes, tons of books are being read this week! I'm out of the materials that usually compose the majority of my daily tasks, so reviewing books for SPV content is all I have to do atm...)

There are some real gems in here. I wish my brain would let me think more than that for a review, but if nothing else, I'd like to read more of the author's work in the future!