One Day I'll Tell You the Things I've Seen: Stories

by Santiago R. Vaquera-Vásquez

A man waits to cross la linea, the U.S.-Mexico border, as a guard scrutinizes him from behind dark sunglasses. Two grown brothers living three thousand miles apart struggle to reconnect through the static of a bad phone connection. A young mother trying to adjust to small-town life in a new country tells her children about the border city where she grew up--the dances and parties and cruises along the boulevard. The stories in Santiago Vaquera-Vasquez's intimate conversational narrative take readers around the world, from the orchards of California to the cornfields of Iowa, from the neighborhoods of Madrid and Mexico City to the Asian shore of Istanbul. As the characters navigate borders and border crossings--both physical and psychological--they attempt to make sense of their increasingly complex memories and relationships."

Genres: Short Stories

136 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2015

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I have mentioned before, short stories are always hard to rate. Mainly because some of the stories are memorable, but some are forgettable. However with this book, it took me by surprise with how touching, vulnerable and concise it was. Usually when I read short stories, the stories can get so long, that it turns into a long drawn out novel, that missed the entire point of the collection. There are a few stories that stood out to me.

"Over there on the Other side"- This story was so beautiful and breathtaking. The language is what made this story appealing, the story of Mexicans coming to america and being questioned about their intentions. It was also very sad, it made me sympathize with people that get judged for just wanting a better life in America.

"Carmen Whose Last Name I don't remember"- "She is a woman whose last name I don't remember. She is a woman who loves art. She is a woman who loved this city. She is a woman who I never really thought of while I lived here. She is a woman who always been on my mind since I left, even though I forgot her last name, even though I lost her address years ago, even though I left without saying goodbye. Carmen?"

The latter story was the best story, it was mixed with love and intrigue. It really made up the mediocre short stories.

"La Finea"- This story was very similar to the first story, it was full of abandonment and answering questions about what is the role of Mexicans coming to America. It was very emotionally driven, it made a lasting impression.

Pretty good novel and I will recommend it to many people fans of short stories or just Fiction in general!

[Michele Leon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book and easy read. Loved the cultural references, they did not seem forced or cheesy. The storyline was great as well

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read the eponymous story of this collection in my Survey of Latin American Literature class during my penultimate undergrad semester. It was, without a doubt, my favorite from all the writings we studied (including Chicano slam poetry and magical realism which are also both very good). I'll include a link to my in-depth reading review (in Spanish ) of that specific story at the bottom of this one.

I loved the personal portraits Vaquera-Vásquez painted throughout this collection, and at first I assumed that each narrator was independent from the rest and each was an individual snapshot of first or second generation immigrant life. However, after a few stories it became clear that the narrators were connected somehow. There were too many specific details that stayed constant between each story. After a read-through or three I think I've figured out the narrator for each story. I'd still love to discuss this with my literature professor (or even Vaquera-Vásquez himself, because apparently he's a friend of my professor) But anyways, here's what I figured out. There are only two narrators: the cousins Lalo (Eduardo or Eddie) and Daniel. Any story that mentions Dartmouth, Turkey, Spain, Iowa City, NYC, or Geography is written from Lalo's perspective. On the other hand, any story that mentions Chico St, UC Santa Barbara, a white mustang, travelling in Mexico or Diana (the sister with cancer) is written from Daniel's perspective. (At least I'm pretty sure his name was Daniel, I think his name was only mentioned briefly in one of Lalo's stories, but I returned my copy to the library because it was several weeks late and I was graduating).
So that means that we see Lalo's perspective in (no particular order) Lupe and the Stars, Snapshots of People I've Known, Sleepwalker, Lonely Planet, Manhattan Transfer, and Walking Spanish. And Daniel is narrating in Homeboys, One Day I'll Tell You the Things I've Seen, Depedidas, Carmen Whose Last Name I Don't Remember, Over There on the Other Side, She Would Tell Stories, La Linea, and Days without Paracetamol.
It's very possible that I missed some connections, but I really liked how one story would be ever so subtly referenced in a different one. Overall to me it felt like each story in the collection was a memory or vignette shared with close friends. The entries are deeply personal and intimate, and relate a special sense of being lost between two cultures while seeking to carve out a space in life.

In-depth Spanish review of One Day I'll Tell You the Things I've Seen: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y...