There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven: Stories

by Ruben Reyes Jr.

An electrifying debut story collection about Central American identity that spans past, present, and future worlds to reveal what happens when your life is no longer your own. An ordinary man wakes one morning to discover he’s a famous reggaetón star. An aging abuela slowly morphs into a marionette puppet. A struggling academic discovers the horrifying cost of becoming a Self-Made Man. In  There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven , Ruben Reyes Jr. conjures strange dreamlike worlds to explore what we would do if we woke up one morning and our lives were unrecognizable. Boundaries between the past, present, and future are blurred. Menacing technology and unchecked bureaucracy cut through everyday life with uncanny dread. The characters, from mango farmers to popstars to ex-guerilla fighters to cyborgs, are forced to make uncomfortable choices—choices that not only mean life or death, but might also allow them to be heard in a world set on silencing the voices of Central Americans. Blazing with heart, humor, and inimitable style,  There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven  subverts everything we think we know about migration and its consequences, capturing what it means to take up a new life—whether willfully or forced—with piercing and brilliant clarity. A gifted new storyteller and trailblazing stylist, Reyes not only transports to other worlds but alerts us to the heartache and injustice of our own.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Literary Fiction, Adult

272 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2024

About the author

Ruben Reyes Jr. is the son of two Salvadoran immigrants and the author of the story collection, There is a Rio Grande in Heaven, which was named a finalist for The Story Prize. He holds degrees from Harvard College and the Iowa Writers' Workshop His writing has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, AGNI, BOMB Magazine, Lightspeed Magazine, LitHub, and other publications. Originally from Southern California, he lives in Queens. Archive of Unknown Universes is his first novel.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and poignant themes related to immigration, queerness, and family. It takes a lot for me to really enjoy a short story collection and I don’t think the writing in this one took me to that level. Still, I appreciate Ruben Reyes Jr.’s centering of Central American identity throughout these stories and his willingness to try something different (e.g., incorporate some sci fi vibes, magical realism, and choose your own adventure).

[Erin Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, thank you to Mariner books for the ARC.

This book is a magical anthology of past, present and future worlds about Central American identity. There is no bad short story in the lot. I do have to say that my favorite three stories are: The Myth of the Self-Made Man, the first Alternate History of El Salvador or Perhaps the World (when the Santa Maria, La Niña and La Pinta have crashed), and Quiero Perrear! And Other Catastrophes. Reyes challenges everything we think we know about migration and its consequences, as well as starting a new life, whether willfully or forced. Amazing writing!! Read every word!

#marinerbooks

[G_occasionally_reads (semi-hiatus cause vacay) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cleverly written. Engaging stories. Great interaction. To read rather than listen — the second part of the book is written as a choose-you-adventure/end which I found really fun and innovative (but works best on paper).

Not all stories are winners but the overall vibe and surfaced themes make this a YES for me.
🥭 stories about immigration (often illegal) and the toll it takes on families
🥭 stories about leaving behind one’s country and not knowing if you’ll ever be back
🥭 sci-fi stories about making the perfect human (whether perfect to be a slave or to relive a life)
🥭 some random story about someone becoming a puppet and some other about a different life
🥭 stories about not being accepted and homophobia
🥭 very, very character-driven.

TW: homophobia, illegal immigration, slavery

[Reb Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’ve somehow gotten my hands on this book before it’s been released at a local bookstore! I didn’t even know it wasn’t out till i finished it.
these collections of short stories about Central American’s lives that take place in the past, present, and future. each story shows how their choices affect their lives- this is a must read!
I think I am missing pages in the end of the book to help finish the last story- hopefully i’ll be able to pick up a copy when it’s released to complete the last story!

[PJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read a collection of short stories and these were really interesting to read I enjoyed them a lot

[Bill Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A generally strong collection of stories, with more hits than misses. The sci-fi/speculative fiction type stories mostly didn’t work for me, but the alternative history vignettes and the stories that take on directly the migrant experience and the consequent feelings of displacement are very well done. “Variations on Your Migrant Life” is a tour-de-force and by itself makes this a must read. The integration of queer experience and themes is admirable…but it doesn’t feel essential—nonetheless, I’m glad to see it.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second-generation Salvadoran American writer's debut employs science fiction and alternative history in its dozen varied stories about Latinx characters trying to connect with family and survive perilous situations. The longest story, "Variations on Your Migrant Life," is a second-person Choose Your Own Adventure. In one of my favorite stories, "Try Again," a gay man pays a company called SyncALife to implant brain tissue from his dead father into a robot. There is an elegiac tone to much of the book, but Reyes' playful approaches, including his blurring of genre lines, mostly temper any somberness. What is fated and what can be changed? Reyes asks. Are family and national origins defining, or do all possibilities lie open? These are compelling thematic questions, and science fiction, alternative history, and magical realism are apt vehicles for their exploration.

See my full review at BookBrowse. (See also my article on Displacement and Migration as Themes in Speculative Fiction.)

[Maria Jose Lourido Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 (7/10) stars; however, I have rounded up because some of the stories are fantastic.

I think that this book is an amazing debut, especially for short stories. It is very hard to write these with varied characters that touch on your personal experience, but are distinct in a way that they are not repetitive. Especially as a first published work, I commend Reyes for that. I really enjoy complicated characters that either challenge or bow to the systems that are oppressing them, and I particularly enjoyed how the choices were never framed as either evil or good, just complicated, misguided, or coming from a place of deep hurt caused by migration. Very interesting read, and I would recommend it!

The reasons why I didn't give it a 5/5 are mainly to do with the writing, which might be slightly unfair and will develop the more that Reyes keeps writing and finding his footing with pacing and style! However, I don't think it detracts from the stories that he is trying to tell, it is just sometimes distracting. Eitherway, would recommend!

[erin ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you to mariner books for gifting me an early release copy of 'there is a rio grande in heaven: stories' by ruben reyes jr! this was my very first book i won from a giveaway and i was extremely impressed.

i absolutely loved this series of stories. to describe this collection to you would be impossible, but to put it simply it was beautiful. the complex stories of each character and the universe they were set sucked me right in. it left me wanting to read more. perspectives of central american life is important in all facets, fictional & nonfictional. the dreamlike worlds had me questioning the world in which we live in today. i suppose the best books do this.

overall loved. 5/5 stars!

[Valerie Book Valkyrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars- great debut!
A debut novel; an anthology of unusual short stories told from the heart with a Central American migrant POV. While the writing is pretty straight forward, the stories are anything but. Most carry a Kafakaesque feel, very affectice, and very effective. Also, there is a strategy to the placement of the stories...a strategically mapped anthology, very clever, crytographic even. Highly recommend.

This book was obtained through a goodreads givaway, thank you to the author and Mariner Books.
All comments and opinions are my own.
Amazon and goodreads have posted a notable description of the book, enthusiastic and accurate, free of excessive hype that accompanies too many book blurbs. I strongly encourage you to "check it out."

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Thank you book seller at East City books that told us to buy and read this. And sorry to Melinda- I spilled some water in my tote bag and now the book will be warped by the time you read it.

An extremely compelling collection of short stories all centered around El Salvador and migration and identity. Some speculative fiction, one choose your own adventure, truly a one of a kind read.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black mirror in a book. Unnerving stories of Salvadoran characters in unlikely situations like one character who sat watching SNL and broached once difficult topics with a robot version of his deceased dad, containing dead dad’s brain downloaded into a robotic facsimile.

[Yoel Isaac Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feb 1
An Alternate history of El Salvador or perhaps the world (1)
He eats his own ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Feb 2
Try again ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Alternate history of El Salvador or perhaps the world (2)

Feb 8
The myth of the self made man ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Feb 9
Quiero perrear! and Other Catastrophes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Alternate history of El Salvador or perhaps the world (3) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Feb 10
My abuela, the puppet ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Feb 11
The Salvadoran slice of Mars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Alternate history of El Salvador or perhaps the world (4)

Feb 12
Variations on your migrant life ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Alternate history of El Salvador or perhaps the world (5)

[Lauren Oertel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a unique and powerful collection. I appreciate how the author took history, concepts we’ve seen before, and new ideas and gave them all a bold twist through a Salvadoran/Central American perspective.

There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven is exactly what readers in the US need to spend time with. These stories grapple with these questions and many more: What would have happened if the colonizers didn’t “conquer” Central America? Whose labor are we exploiting for the convenience of “the average American,” and how might a weaponized border river be different in heaven? The closing story that responds to the last question and the book’s title will stay with me.

This is a must-read. I already want to read it again. Don’t miss out on this gift full of truths we can no longer bury.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the second story I knew I was in the hands of someone tremendously talented; third story had me tearing up on the Metro North, fifth story still has me spooked.

THERE IS A RIO GRANDE IN HEAVEN is Ruben Reyes Jr.’s debut that explores Central American identity, queerness, migration, legacies of colonialism, and more through a collection of short stories, some speculative and others not, all of which examine everyday life through a microscope and the quiet devastations we encounter.

My favorites were the more speculative and sci-fi ones, but they were all hard-hitting. I rarely finish a book and find myself desperate to reread it so soon, but I think I might buy myself a copy just so I can underline everything.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

listened to most of this but had to switch to ebook for the choose your own adventure story — which absolutely rocked my world btw!!!!

this was so creative & unique & stunning, just an unbelievable collection of short stories exploring central american identity & migrant experiences

so so freaking cool & i will be running to read more of reyes’s work asap

[Tristan Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a good bunch of short stories. similar themes, but all structurally different — also loved the “choose your own adventure” aspect of one of the stories. this was a #goodbook

[Kimberlyyyreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read!!

[marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed some parts more than others but the last story and who it’s dedicated to made me cry so for that it deserves 5 stars ❤️

[Elizabeth Artemis Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The birds and butterflies are like memories, dreams, desires.”

Loved this! Wonderful collection populated by a diverse array of queer Central American migrant characters. A cut above the other 2025 Story Prize finalists. Please win tomorrow.

[Carlos Torres · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this collection, but it mostly didn't work for me. I almost gave up on it but I'm glad I didn't because "Variations on Your Migrant Life" was the absolute highlight of the book. The humanity and awful beauty of that story were so touching and real and showcased a story that needs to be told. The choose your own adventure approach worked great and I went back and read through every pathway.

None of the other stories really landed for me. I saw another reviewer define the tone as elegiac and (after looking that up) I have to agree. The collection is not quite horror, but it's in the ballpark. While I think that fits the migrant experience, I didn't love the way it was done. The stories suggest that second gen immigrants who choose financially rewarding paths are monsters. I didn't get any humanizing elements of them, just pure villains. I find the choice strange and a big miss.

I am curious enough to see how the author continues to develop, but I don't think I'll return to this collection outside of the one story.

[Gerardo Romo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible as it was creative. I loved the sci fi elements as a way to flesh out the political and emotional landscape of being queer/salvadoran. The book explores so many topics in creative and tender ways: trauma from migration, war, genocide, imperialism (including ecological); queerness; grief, and a lot more.

So many moments in this book touched me deeply. I cant recommend it enough especially to other queer Salvadorans/ Central Americans.

[Austin Zamudio · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite stories are: He Eats His Own; Try Again; and, The Salvadorian Slice of Mars.

I have to give a special shout-out to, Variations on Your Migrant Life, for using a "choose your own adventure" form of storytelling. It made the story such a standout and was such a success for only so many pages.

"What happens when your life is no longer your own", is absolutely the throughline in every story. Even though there are sci-fi and pretty absurd elements throughout the collection, every character felt so relatable and every scenario so believable.

Ruben Reyes Jr. is a master of writing complex characters! I can't recommend "There Is a Rio Grande In Heaven" enough!

[Zoe Peritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is everything I had hoped it would be; I love short stories especially when they are a little unsettling and I am so glad I own a copy because this might be my favorite book cover ever (further solidifying my belief that you can 100% judge books based on their covers)

[Sophia Steiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

can’t believe I won my first goodreads giveaway :’) thank you mariner books!

this collection was moving, powerful, raw - the stories flowed together well and the writing was beautiful

[Sara Hernandez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you for picking me as a giveaway winner. All of the short stories were really similar, and were not very engaging or exciting.

[cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! I haven't read anything so imaginative and delightful for quite a while. A choose-your-own-adventure immigration story was gut-punch impactful, and the rest was so compelling that I couldn't put it down, even when I really needed to. One of my most enjoyed - and now recommended to you all reads for 2024!

From a review on LatinXinPublishing, "Reyes showcases his peculiar storytelling abilities in twelve stories (some short fiction and some flash fiction). He creates a narrative from perspectives rarely seen in science fiction. Queerness, Latinx culture, and Central American history are displayed in his stories, and readers don’t need to belong to said communities to understand them. They must, however, be aware of them—and have respect for them. He expects us to be clever enough to grasp what’s being told behind the imaginative aspect of his work, limiting his exposition and committing to the weirdness of his stories." (https://latinxinpublishing.com/blog/t...)

And from the Washinton Post's review, " Reyes, the son of Salvadoran immigrants, corrals a number of genres and time periods in his work — the past, the future, a speculative future past. He borrows as many styles as he can grab hold of, stuffing the book almost to bursting with formal play: reportage, science fiction, fake archival studies of a past that hasn’t happened yet, sharp pieces of flash fiction that offer alternative histories of El Salvador and possibly the world and that speckle the collection with humor and punch and surprise. Jokes, violence, grief, horror, loneliness — he pulls these into the folds of his fiction, too, and he does so all with the nearly impossible aim of capturing the fraught experience of being an immigrant or the child of immigrants or the child who was left behind or the one who couldn’t leave. Reyes treats us to wild and unsettling conceits: a beloved grandmother’s body slowly morphs into a plush marionette puppet; children stolen from the U.S.-Mexico border are surgically transformed into cyborgs (also known, tragically, as Self-Made Men) who are then sold into service to wealthy American families; the gay son of a former Salvadoran guerrillero implants the gray matter of his dead father’s brain into a small robot in hopes of enacting a more empathetic father-son relationship; an American-born son of immigrants finds himself without the right papers, soon to be deported from a Mars long ago colonized by Central American governments in the face of the existential threat posed by climate change. Reyes leads the reader through singular, surreal experiences to a deeper, truer understanding of the real lives of Central Americans; more specifically, Salvadoran men and women and children, whether citizens, politicians, guerrilleros or immigrants."

[Elena L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In THERE IS A RIO GRANDE IN HEAVEN, Reyes Jr. gives voice to the Central Americans - from mango as a cultural symbol to second chances, there is certain sense that unites people, which experiences regarding migration, dream, trauma, sexuality, heritage and climate change are emotionally reflected in the stories.

One is easily able to go through both heartbreaks and instances of hope - I was personally impacted by 'Try again' (a late poet father's memories are implanted in a robot), which ordinary memory can stir tender emotions and reminds me of my own. "The cruel thing about grief is that it doesn't care where you are or how you're feeling."

In 'Variations on your migrant life', Reyes Jr. showcases the bold and inventive nature with an interactive story that allows one to choose alternate realities, reminiscent of 'All this & more' by Peng Shepherd.

With confident writing, there's an overall sentiment of yearning, of wanting to spend even if a little more time with the Rio Grande in heaven. I appreciated drinking from its water and I didn't mind the unresolved outcomes.

I would recommend this collection for those wanting to read about Central Americans diasporic experiences with an emotional touch.

[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher - Mariner books . All opinions are my own ]

[Luna Itza · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes Jr is my first stories read and I loved every bit of it. The choice of words woven into fantasy and ‘choose your own adventure’ gifts the reader with a unique perspective of what it’s like to be challenged in the face of discrimination. Whether you were born in the motherland or carry pieces of it with you wherever you go, one thing is certain: the heartache is as heavy as the love for a better life. Especially, a peaceful one.

The first few stories touch on queerness and otherness within the confines of being latine. The ‘choose your own adventure’ parts were the heaviest to read but also the best pages in this book. A complete account of what it’s like to be a lone traveler in a world filled with darkness.

As someone who grew up less than a mile from the US/MX border wall, I experienced a lot of things I didn’t understand as a child. Like why a girl from El Salvador at the age of 13 was traveling alone in search of Boston. Or the boys who arrived at my family ranch soaking wet in tears. Stories about riding La Bestia in order to flee the trials and tribulations that awaited them in an abandoned home. Forced to become nomadic no matter the age or circumstance. A violent force so familiar to those indigenous to the Americas.

My heart was on fire from start to finish. Imagining a world where heaven doesn’t have to be crossed in order to be met.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow.

Okay. I was very close to rating this three stars, but ‘Variations on Your Migrant Life’ was so stunning I had to bump my rating. I haven’t even explored it in full but had to write my review.

This short story collection is very thematically consistent, if, at times, repetitive. I loved a lot of the concepts, the futuristic techno-scapes that are grounded in (or play upon) scenes of sexuality, family, immigration, colonialism, climate change, socio-economic-political structures etc etc. ‘Try Again’ is one of my favorites in this collection, and for me personally, ‘My Abuela, The Puppet’ is one of the weaker ones, bringing down my overall rating.

(The more I think about leaning towards three stars, the more I wonder if I just didn’t give each story its own space and time, something to think about for future short story collections.)

Excited to see more from Reyes Jr. in the future.