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Coyote Songs
In Gabino Iglesias’ second novel, ghosts and old gods guide the hands of those caught up in a violent struggle to save the soul of the American southwest.
A man tasked with shuttling children over the border believes the Virgin Mary is guiding him towards final justice. A woman offers colonizer blood to the Mother of Chaos. A boy joins corpse destroyers to seek vengeance for the death of his father.
These stories intertwine with those of a vengeful spirit and a hungry creature to paint a timely, compelling, pulpy portrait of revenge, family, and hope.
A man tasked with shuttling children over the border believes the Virgin Mary is guiding him towards final justice. A woman offers colonizer blood to the Mother of Chaos. A boy joins corpse destroyers to seek vengeance for the death of his father.
These stories intertwine with those of a vengeful spirit and a hungry creature to paint a timely, compelling, pulpy portrait of revenge, family, and hope.
214 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 26, 2018
139 people are currently reading
6938 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 382 reviews
March 16, 2019
Textured, intriguing novel, told from multiple points of view. This is a story about borders, crossings, justice, the spiritual world. There are several characters but Iglesias is particularly at adept in making them distinct. The structure of this novel is also admirable, how he weaves these threads together and only in the end do you see why, and what he has been assembling. I also love the use of language, the cadence of the sentences. Lots to like here.
December 3, 2019
It's a daunting task to review a book like COYOTE SONGS. This is not something I feel comfortable looking at through the same bookish lenses I view all my other reads. I almost need some other criteria in which to discern my feelings towards it--maybe I could wear the hat of an art critic or a wine sommelier?
A sommelier has "a deep knowledge of how food and wine, beer, spirits and other beverages work in harmony" and I feel like after reading COYOTE SONGS, a collection of stories woven together to paint a picture of the Frontera, I have developed a flavor palette for this new category of horror Gabino created.
You, the honored guest at Mr. Iglesias' table are invited to sample strange food served in distinct courses. With each character's story that is introduced, Pedrito, The Mother, The Coyote, Jamie, Alma and La Bruja, Mr. Iglesias submerges you into that character's culture, context and lifestyle. Some of the flavor profiles are very intense and you find yourself flinching at the raw, abrasive textures.
Others are more palatable but they feel dangerous...like maybe it has a great mouth feel but later, it's going to hurt.
And hurt it does. The gut punches to your emotions and your empathy are endless--you need a steel resolve to push through some of the injustice, pain and violence. But for me, a very emotional reader, I didn't need any extra convincing to press on-the narratives are so undeniably compelling, you just have to know where the story is going to leave you.
The way that Gabino is able to float you through an exotic blend of genres without a misstep is nothing short of a fairytale. Actually, as I say that, it reminds me of the way the language in this book fluidly transitions from English to Spanish and you barely even notice you're reading foreign words. Sometimes I had to know what exactly was being said and I Google translated some sentences or words, but sometimes, I think my mind translated it for me through some kind of barrio noir magic.
I very much enjoyed that there are some very heavy feminine voices coupled with the voices of children--it's very refreshing to find marginalized people groups at the center of a powerful and impactful book like this one.
Having grown up experiencing Mexican culture on my grandpa's side of the family, I'm familiar with a lot of the matriarchal and superstitious threads I found pulling all these stories together in the beautiful yet haunting tapestry that is COYOTE SONGS.
I think it's been said before so I won't even pretend that I own this thought at all but after finishing this book, I felt like it needs to be said that this is an important read for our time, right now. It is EXACTLY what authors need to be doing right now. I know that so many people are troubled by the world we live in, politically, under our current president and that people find it difficult to write because they're so angry or depressed or feel like art is just a distraction or a luxury but the reality is that it's a necessity. Stories like this one need to be told.
It the kind of stuff that gets you up in the morning and makes you feel like we can't be robbed of everything, you know?? All is not lost.
Anyways, sorry if this review is a bit all over the place--I'm just really excited about this book, about authors with voices like Gabino's and that I have ZERO SAINTS on my nightstand to look forward to--this is the stuff guys. The stuff we live for.
A sommelier has "a deep knowledge of how food and wine, beer, spirits and other beverages work in harmony" and I feel like after reading COYOTE SONGS, a collection of stories woven together to paint a picture of the Frontera, I have developed a flavor palette for this new category of horror Gabino created.
You, the honored guest at Mr. Iglesias' table are invited to sample strange food served in distinct courses. With each character's story that is introduced, Pedrito, The Mother, The Coyote, Jamie, Alma and La Bruja, Mr. Iglesias submerges you into that character's culture, context and lifestyle. Some of the flavor profiles are very intense and you find yourself flinching at the raw, abrasive textures.
Others are more palatable but they feel dangerous...like maybe it has a great mouth feel but later, it's going to hurt.
And hurt it does. The gut punches to your emotions and your empathy are endless--you need a steel resolve to push through some of the injustice, pain and violence. But for me, a very emotional reader, I didn't need any extra convincing to press on-the narratives are so undeniably compelling, you just have to know where the story is going to leave you.
The way that Gabino is able to float you through an exotic blend of genres without a misstep is nothing short of a fairytale. Actually, as I say that, it reminds me of the way the language in this book fluidly transitions from English to Spanish and you barely even notice you're reading foreign words. Sometimes I had to know what exactly was being said and I Google translated some sentences or words, but sometimes, I think my mind translated it for me through some kind of barrio noir magic.
I very much enjoyed that there are some very heavy feminine voices coupled with the voices of children--it's very refreshing to find marginalized people groups at the center of a powerful and impactful book like this one.
Having grown up experiencing Mexican culture on my grandpa's side of the family, I'm familiar with a lot of the matriarchal and superstitious threads I found pulling all these stories together in the beautiful yet haunting tapestry that is COYOTE SONGS.
I think it's been said before so I won't even pretend that I own this thought at all but after finishing this book, I felt like it needs to be said that this is an important read for our time, right now. It is EXACTLY what authors need to be doing right now. I know that so many people are troubled by the world we live in, politically, under our current president and that people find it difficult to write because they're so angry or depressed or feel like art is just a distraction or a luxury but the reality is that it's a necessity. Stories like this one need to be told.
It the kind of stuff that gets you up in the morning and makes you feel like we can't be robbed of everything, you know?? All is not lost.
Anyways, sorry if this review is a bit all over the place--I'm just really excited about this book, about authors with voices like Gabino's and that I have ZERO SAINTS on my nightstand to look forward to--this is the stuff guys. The stuff we live for.
December 15, 2024
COYOTE SONGS. What can I say? It was brilliant, so let's start with that.
I can't even hope to write a review as insightful and well written as my friend's, Michael Patrick Hicks', here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
All I can hope to do is try to impart to you the way this book make me feel. There is a small group of characters living near the U.S./Mexican border and we are privy to their lives-with all the sorrows and joys therein. Unfortunately, there are very few joys. There is little to look forward to other than more poverty, misery, and crime. I quote from the book:
"He opened his eyes to a present that mocked his every wish and shattered any vision that dared go past it."
When every hope you have is dashed, when every small good thing in your life is met with ten big, bad things, what point is there? When you have no hope for your children or yourself, again, what's the point?
Here is where I was going to make a brief political statement, but I just deleted it. If you don't already feel compassion or empathy for those innocents caught up in this immigration debacle, then there's nothing I can say to make you feel for them. But Gabino Iglesias has said the words that made me feel even more for them than I already did.
They are powerful words. They are words that needed to be said. They're not all flowers and sunshine, they are violent and dark and represent some of the worst things about humanity. You should read those words. They are called COYOTE SONGS.
My highest recommendation, period.
You can and SHOULD get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2Vs0osZ
I can't even hope to write a review as insightful and well written as my friend's, Michael Patrick Hicks', here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
All I can hope to do is try to impart to you the way this book make me feel. There is a small group of characters living near the U.S./Mexican border and we are privy to their lives-with all the sorrows and joys therein. Unfortunately, there are very few joys. There is little to look forward to other than more poverty, misery, and crime. I quote from the book:
"He opened his eyes to a present that mocked his every wish and shattered any vision that dared go past it."
When every hope you have is dashed, when every small good thing in your life is met with ten big, bad things, what point is there? When you have no hope for your children or yourself, again, what's the point?
Here is where I was going to make a brief political statement, but I just deleted it. If you don't already feel compassion or empathy for those innocents caught up in this immigration debacle, then there's nothing I can say to make you feel for them. But Gabino Iglesias has said the words that made me feel even more for them than I already did.
They are powerful words. They are words that needed to be said. They're not all flowers and sunshine, they are violent and dark and represent some of the worst things about humanity. You should read those words. They are called COYOTE SONGS.
My highest recommendation, period.
You can and SHOULD get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2Vs0osZ
December 2, 2018
On an island in the New York Harbor, a French woman stands tall, proud even. Time and ocean have covered her body in a green patina, but her torch and all that she stands for still shine. A handful of words epitomize the sum of her ideals, and those of her country:
More than two thousand miles away, migrant children, babies, women, and men fleeing violence in their home country of Honduras are tear gassed as the US Border Patrol fires across the US-Mexico border. The tear gas is banned in warfare, and yet American police routinely and liberally use it against American citizens protesting various causes and politics, an authoritarian reminder from the state to its citizens on who has the bigger dick. Now, despite the Geneva Convention, we turn a potent chemical upon the unarmed, the weak, and the helpless. Political asylum seekers awaiting their turn to apply are identified by the numbers marked upon their wrists, an image that recalls the Nazi persecution of Holocaust victims in World War II. Elsewhere along the border, children are torn away from their family, many seemingly never to be returned despite US court orders, housed in newly erected concentration camps.
This is America.
This is a young country that has, over time, built its own mythology, full of righteousness and idealism. It is a myth that has been sold to its own citizens and the rest of the world in turn, predicated upon these inalienable rights that we hold to be self-evident, a simple and common truth that all men are created equal and endowed with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We then, in turn, elect to represent us an embarrassing cadre of racists, sexists, and the moronic, people who on a daily basis remind us that the American myth is merely that. We elect to the highest office in our land a man who calls white supremacists very fine people and decries all Mexicans as little more than rapists and thieves. The Christian evangelicals among us demand that we, in turn, speak of these politicians with deference and civility.
This is America. A country built by immigrants, its borders drawn upon murder and bloodshed and theft. A melting pot of immigrants and the descendants of immigrants who, in turn, vilify immigrants and condemn immigration. Myth versus reality.
The tension of myth running headlong into reality is at the beating and bloody heart of Coyote Songs, a mosaic novel set along the US-Mexican border. Through a handful of characters, Gabino Iglesias presents to us the life of those living along la frontera, characters who are driven by the myths and beliefs of their forebears and who have internalized the myth of America and want in on a piece of the action, hoping to flee the impoverishment and violence of their barrios and succeeding only in finding themselves ensnared in an old and familiar cycle of violence and impoverishment elsewhere. We have sold them a promise, and with it a false bill of goods.
Pedrito's father speaks more English than Spanish, believing a fluidity in his adopted language will make their eventual escape into America easier, opening for his family the doors of opportunity. Alma, a multicultural, bilingual black Puerto Rican in Texas, believes she'll make it big as an artist, until she runs headlong into the realization that she's little more than a puppet for the rich and entitled whites, like Mr. Wilson, who offers her a free venue in order to capitalize upon her performance, and hopefully, later, her body. The coyote runs kids across the border because he believes that such is his mission in life. We never learn his name, but have no need of it; he is a man defined by his job - he is the coyote, nothing more or nothing less. He is a servant of La Virgencita, and saving the children by helping them flee into America, the land of so much promise, is his sole purpose. And then, in the desert, there is the ghost of Inmaculada, thirsting for revenge.
Coyote Songs is ugly at times, necessarily and honestly so. It's a dusty noir told with a dry desert rasp, and it's all the more powerful for it. Gabino Iglesias is one hell of a writer, his voice authentic and predicated upon lived experience, observation, and honesty. I don't know anything about Iglesias's background or his personal history, but I know from reading Coyote Songs that he writes with authority and sincerity. There's no sugar coating his characters, and each come across with a natural rawness. Even those with idealism are shaded with the expectation of violence, of having to fight for what they believe in, knowing full well that they will be handed nothing nor given any quarter because of the color of their skin and the language on their tongue.
Iglesias spins a compact yet wickedly strong narrative through a revolving door of voices, cycling between his characters to share with us the darkness of their lives, and the minor bits of light that momentarily befall them. Not a word is wasted, his sentences punchy and pointed, driven into the reader with the practiced smoothness of a skilled craftsman.
Most important, though, is its fundamental honesty. Iglesias forgoes any kind of romanticizing of la frontera life, and he refrains from gilding the American promise in our time of political upheaval and turmoil. For those along the border, there is no escaping the threat of the orange idiot and the corrupt ICE who kidnap children to sell them to gangs and cartels. This book is raw and honest, and written so smoothly the pages turn themselves. Iglesias has plenty to say, and when he throws a punch, always properly justified here, it lands hard. There's a balletic grace to the violence, a poetic refinement to the writing, and a constant truth that sounds throughout. Coyote Songs is a book of and for our times, its author a vital voice we would do well to pay attention to.
Give me your tired, your poor
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free
More than two thousand miles away, migrant children, babies, women, and men fleeing violence in their home country of Honduras are tear gassed as the US Border Patrol fires across the US-Mexico border. The tear gas is banned in warfare, and yet American police routinely and liberally use it against American citizens protesting various causes and politics, an authoritarian reminder from the state to its citizens on who has the bigger dick. Now, despite the Geneva Convention, we turn a potent chemical upon the unarmed, the weak, and the helpless. Political asylum seekers awaiting their turn to apply are identified by the numbers marked upon their wrists, an image that recalls the Nazi persecution of Holocaust victims in World War II. Elsewhere along the border, children are torn away from their family, many seemingly never to be returned despite US court orders, housed in newly erected concentration camps.
This is America.
This is a young country that has, over time, built its own mythology, full of righteousness and idealism. It is a myth that has been sold to its own citizens and the rest of the world in turn, predicated upon these inalienable rights that we hold to be self-evident, a simple and common truth that all men are created equal and endowed with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We then, in turn, elect to represent us an embarrassing cadre of racists, sexists, and the moronic, people who on a daily basis remind us that the American myth is merely that. We elect to the highest office in our land a man who calls white supremacists very fine people and decries all Mexicans as little more than rapists and thieves. The Christian evangelicals among us demand that we, in turn, speak of these politicians with deference and civility.
This is America. A country built by immigrants, its borders drawn upon murder and bloodshed and theft. A melting pot of immigrants and the descendants of immigrants who, in turn, vilify immigrants and condemn immigration. Myth versus reality.
The tension of myth running headlong into reality is at the beating and bloody heart of Coyote Songs, a mosaic novel set along the US-Mexican border. Through a handful of characters, Gabino Iglesias presents to us the life of those living along la frontera, characters who are driven by the myths and beliefs of their forebears and who have internalized the myth of America and want in on a piece of the action, hoping to flee the impoverishment and violence of their barrios and succeeding only in finding themselves ensnared in an old and familiar cycle of violence and impoverishment elsewhere. We have sold them a promise, and with it a false bill of goods.
Pedrito's father speaks more English than Spanish, believing a fluidity in his adopted language will make their eventual escape into America easier, opening for his family the doors of opportunity. Alma, a multicultural, bilingual black Puerto Rican in Texas, believes she'll make it big as an artist, until she runs headlong into the realization that she's little more than a puppet for the rich and entitled whites, like Mr. Wilson, who offers her a free venue in order to capitalize upon her performance, and hopefully, later, her body. The coyote runs kids across the border because he believes that such is his mission in life. We never learn his name, but have no need of it; he is a man defined by his job - he is the coyote, nothing more or nothing less. He is a servant of La Virgencita, and saving the children by helping them flee into America, the land of so much promise, is his sole purpose. And then, in the desert, there is the ghost of Inmaculada, thirsting for revenge.
Coyote Songs is ugly at times, necessarily and honestly so. It's a dusty noir told with a dry desert rasp, and it's all the more powerful for it. Gabino Iglesias is one hell of a writer, his voice authentic and predicated upon lived experience, observation, and honesty. I don't know anything about Iglesias's background or his personal history, but I know from reading Coyote Songs that he writes with authority and sincerity. There's no sugar coating his characters, and each come across with a natural rawness. Even those with idealism are shaded with the expectation of violence, of having to fight for what they believe in, knowing full well that they will be handed nothing nor given any quarter because of the color of their skin and the language on their tongue.
Iglesias spins a compact yet wickedly strong narrative through a revolving door of voices, cycling between his characters to share with us the darkness of their lives, and the minor bits of light that momentarily befall them. Not a word is wasted, his sentences punchy and pointed, driven into the reader with the practiced smoothness of a skilled craftsman.
Most important, though, is its fundamental honesty. Iglesias forgoes any kind of romanticizing of la frontera life, and he refrains from gilding the American promise in our time of political upheaval and turmoil. For those along the border, there is no escaping the threat of the orange idiot and the corrupt ICE who kidnap children to sell them to gangs and cartels. This book is raw and honest, and written so smoothly the pages turn themselves. Iglesias has plenty to say, and when he throws a punch, always properly justified here, it lands hard. There's a balletic grace to the violence, a poetic refinement to the writing, and a constant truth that sounds throughout. Coyote Songs is a book of and for our times, its author a vital voice we would do well to pay attention to.
April 15, 2019
This book is beautiful in its use of language, potent in its exclamations of agony and passionate in its gravitational pull between love and hate. Spirits both human and supernatural transcend their own boundaries to spill blood and tears of oppression into the earth. Poetically written and savagely honest in its presentation of horrific injustice, this is a book to be savored and absorbed. Even if it hurts.
December 4, 2018
After reading the amazing review Michael Hicks did for this book, I'm kind of hard pressed to come up with anything that could possibly say more or add anything original. Sincerely, read his review. It sums up this book so unbelievably well.
I can say that Coyote Songs moved me deeply and that it's a very important work of fiction. Especially now. Everyone should read this. Especially those of us who know nothing about true poverty or have never feared for our lives.
The format for this novel is perfect. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a person living on la frontera, and each person's story is absolutely unflinching and sometimes utterly heartbreaking. The opening chapter about Pedrito had me gasping out loud. His subsequent chapters are just as hard to read. The chapters from the perspective of La Bruja were emotionally devastating and some of my favorites. The Coyote needs no name. He is his job, and ultimately, his quest for helping children cross the border will lead him to an unexpected place. And then there's Alma. A black Puerto Rican performance artist living in Austin who is no longer able to allow rich white men to capitalize off of her art. All of these people have stories to tell. Stories that will make you have to stop and catch your breath at times. Stories that will stay with you for a very long time.
There are more characters with chapters in this novel, but these are the ones that stuck with me the most and had me wiping tears from my eyes. This book is so visceral and sometimes hard to read, but it's the most relevant book I've read all year. It's horror that is happening right now. It's horror that we need to read and discuss as a community. I cannot recommend this book enough.
I can say that Coyote Songs moved me deeply and that it's a very important work of fiction. Especially now. Everyone should read this. Especially those of us who know nothing about true poverty or have never feared for our lives.
The format for this novel is perfect. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a person living on la frontera, and each person's story is absolutely unflinching and sometimes utterly heartbreaking. The opening chapter about Pedrito had me gasping out loud. His subsequent chapters are just as hard to read. The chapters from the perspective of La Bruja were emotionally devastating and some of my favorites. The Coyote needs no name. He is his job, and ultimately, his quest for helping children cross the border will lead him to an unexpected place. And then there's Alma. A black Puerto Rican performance artist living in Austin who is no longer able to allow rich white men to capitalize off of her art. All of these people have stories to tell. Stories that will make you have to stop and catch your breath at times. Stories that will stay with you for a very long time.
There are more characters with chapters in this novel, but these are the ones that stuck with me the most and had me wiping tears from my eyes. This book is so visceral and sometimes hard to read, but it's the most relevant book I've read all year. It's horror that is happening right now. It's horror that we need to read and discuss as a community. I cannot recommend this book enough.
January 2, 2019
"Whatever is happening there smells like blood and bad news."Gabino Iglesias's novel Zero Saints was one of my favorite books I read in 2016. I also mentioned in that review that it was completely original and unlike anything I'd read before. This latest work follows that trend and goes even further. It's even harder to pin down than that previous book.
The silence on the other side of the door struck him as forced, pregnant with something tense, something that belonged to the world of screams, but that was forced to stay quiet.Coyote Songs almost completely defies description. I won't even try. And good luck trying to pin it down to a genre. It's equal parts magical realism, crime noir, supernatural horror, manifesto, and who the hell knows what else. It's a mean and poetic ballad of la frontera: a place that's even darker than la frontera explored in Zero Saints, this is a place filled with monsters, both human and otherwise. This book isn't for everyone, and I admit that I probably didn't understand all that it offered. But I was held rapt by it's imagery and language, a reading experience unlike anything else this year. Books like this make me happy that there are writers like Gabino Iglesias out there in the world, and publishers like Broken River Books brave enough to publish them.
"La frontera es un sitio malo, especially if you start caring about shit. La frontera es un sitio donde hay que ser un hijo de puta para sobrevivir. You have that, mijo. Don’t lose it. Nunca.”
January 4, 2019
"God works in mysterious ways...but he gets really fucking weird when it comes to poor people and dangerous places."
Coyote Songs was my introduction to Gabino Iglesias' books, and I am happy to say that it was a fantastic introduction. This book is so gorgeously written, and I feel like nothing I say can do it justice. This is a mosaic novel - these can be hit or miss for me, but Iglesias is very successful at writing in this format.
I want to say upfront that I'm not entirely certain that I understood everything about this book. I feel like I might catch more things if I reread it, and I hope to one day. That being said, I was completely captivated by this story, everything is woven together very well.
Coyote Songs is a difficult read. It deals with a lot of heavy topics, and it will not work for unsympathetic readers. You know what you're getting into when you read the synopsis of this book, and if you're a heartless garbage person, you probably won't enjoy this book. Coyote Songs shows many sides to humanity - people are multi-faceted; they are both good and bad, and sometimes people believe they're doing the right or wrong thing when it's really the opposite. At the core of this book, we are shown that people are just human, and deserve to be treated as such.
This book was a blend of genres - the cover calls it barrio noir, but there's a bit of something for everyone here (again, unless you're a heartless garbage person). I noticed elements of horror, crime, literary fiction, magical realism, and probably even more things that I missed. The writing is poetic, and it reads as both a novel and a collection.
I wasn't sure how I was going to do with switching back and forth between Spanish and English. I ended up enjoying it. I know a bit of generic Spanish, and I am much better at reading it than speaking. I was rusty, but doing much better by the end of the book. It was fun to see how much I could figure out, and Google Translate was my best friend.
Gabino Iglesias is definitely an author to watch, and I can't wait to see what else he comes up with. I highly recommend this book, and I enjoyed reading / discussing with a group of friends. Thank you to reviewer friends Tracy, Mindi, Shane, and Michael for yelling at people about how you love this book.
Coyote Songs was my introduction to Gabino Iglesias' books, and I am happy to say that it was a fantastic introduction. This book is so gorgeously written, and I feel like nothing I say can do it justice. This is a mosaic novel - these can be hit or miss for me, but Iglesias is very successful at writing in this format.
I want to say upfront that I'm not entirely certain that I understood everything about this book. I feel like I might catch more things if I reread it, and I hope to one day. That being said, I was completely captivated by this story, everything is woven together very well.
Coyote Songs is a difficult read. It deals with a lot of heavy topics, and it will not work for unsympathetic readers. You know what you're getting into when you read the synopsis of this book, and if you're a heartless garbage person, you probably won't enjoy this book. Coyote Songs shows many sides to humanity - people are multi-faceted; they are both good and bad, and sometimes people believe they're doing the right or wrong thing when it's really the opposite. At the core of this book, we are shown that people are just human, and deserve to be treated as such.
This book was a blend of genres - the cover calls it barrio noir, but there's a bit of something for everyone here (again, unless you're a heartless garbage person). I noticed elements of horror, crime, literary fiction, magical realism, and probably even more things that I missed. The writing is poetic, and it reads as both a novel and a collection.
I wasn't sure how I was going to do with switching back and forth between Spanish and English. I ended up enjoying it. I know a bit of generic Spanish, and I am much better at reading it than speaking. I was rusty, but doing much better by the end of the book. It was fun to see how much I could figure out, and Google Translate was my best friend.
Gabino Iglesias is definitely an author to watch, and I can't wait to see what else he comes up with. I highly recommend this book, and I enjoyed reading / discussing with a group of friends. Thank you to reviewer friends Tracy, Mindi, Shane, and Michael for yelling at people about how you love this book.
March 25, 2025
Oggi vi parlo di “Coyote Songs”, romanzo scritto da Gabino Iglesias.
“Coyote Songs” entra di diritto tra i libri più forti, più potenti e più crudi che abbia mai letto. Duecentoventi pagine di continue martellate sui denti, distruttive e inesorabili. La penna di Gabino Iglesias si presenta asciutta e tagliente, priva di qualsiasi fronzolo, scarnificata. La volontà è una e una soltanto, colpire duro.
“Coyote Songs” è una storia corale, un affresco dove ogni colore rappresenta un personaggio e la sua storia, un dipinto dove i colori si intrecciano e si legano, trasmettendo una visione d’insieme tragica e terribile. I protagonisti sono figli della loro terra, la frontiera tra Messico e Stati Uniti. Un non luogo appartenente a nessuno, brutale e feroce, tuttavia estremamente vero. L’orrore è parte integrante della realtà, un orrore quotidiano, vicino, impossibile da esorcizzare. Che altro possiamo dire se non “Grazie, grazie per non essere nati lì”?
La frontiera è una ferita i cui bordi slabbrati mostrano da tempo il nero della cancrena. Da un lato la povertà, i soprusi, la sofferenza, dall’altro l’illusione del mito americano, il razzismo e la ghettizzazione. I protagonisti rispecchiano il dolore, la violenza e il sangue impregnati nel territorio in cui vivono. Non c’è spazio per desideri futili e preoccupazioni inutili, a muovere le loro vite spezzate sono bisogni primitivi: vendicarsi, aiutare l’altro, ribellarsi a determinati costrutti socioculturali, trovare un’ancora di salvezza, salvare la propria anima, redimersi. Divinità avare di speranza muoveranno i fili del loro destino.
La giustizia e la libertà nate dall’odio sono miraggi, meri inganni. Dall’odio nasce solo altro odio.
Commovente. Poetico. Riflessivo. Capolavoro.
“Coyote Songs” entra di diritto tra i libri più forti, più potenti e più crudi che abbia mai letto. Duecentoventi pagine di continue martellate sui denti, distruttive e inesorabili. La penna di Gabino Iglesias si presenta asciutta e tagliente, priva di qualsiasi fronzolo, scarnificata. La volontà è una e una soltanto, colpire duro.
“Coyote Songs” è una storia corale, un affresco dove ogni colore rappresenta un personaggio e la sua storia, un dipinto dove i colori si intrecciano e si legano, trasmettendo una visione d’insieme tragica e terribile. I protagonisti sono figli della loro terra, la frontiera tra Messico e Stati Uniti. Un non luogo appartenente a nessuno, brutale e feroce, tuttavia estremamente vero. L’orrore è parte integrante della realtà, un orrore quotidiano, vicino, impossibile da esorcizzare. Che altro possiamo dire se non “Grazie, grazie per non essere nati lì”?
La frontiera è una ferita i cui bordi slabbrati mostrano da tempo il nero della cancrena. Da un lato la povertà, i soprusi, la sofferenza, dall’altro l’illusione del mito americano, il razzismo e la ghettizzazione. I protagonisti rispecchiano il dolore, la violenza e il sangue impregnati nel territorio in cui vivono. Non c’è spazio per desideri futili e preoccupazioni inutili, a muovere le loro vite spezzate sono bisogni primitivi: vendicarsi, aiutare l’altro, ribellarsi a determinati costrutti socioculturali, trovare un’ancora di salvezza, salvare la propria anima, redimersi. Divinità avare di speranza muoveranno i fili del loro destino.
La giustizia e la libertà nate dall’odio sono miraggi, meri inganni. Dall’odio nasce solo altro odio.
Commovente. Poetico. Riflessivo. Capolavoro.
November 1, 2018
“You don’t want to sleep because you’re hungry. Quieres sangre.”
I’m writing up a review for www.scifiandscary.com so stay tuned for my full review very soon. I’ve highlighted 20+ passages...the writing is beautiful.
Full review from my Sci-Fi and Scary entry:
This barrio noir is a stunning example of a mosaic horror/crime novel that pulls the reader through vastly different, yet similar, experiences. The sections are titled with the focus characters: Pedrito (heartbreaking/revenge/coming of age horror), The Mother (insanity/horror), The Coyote (justice/vigilante), Jaime (crime/family/final showdown), Alma (art vs life/body horror/advocacy vs. insanity), and La Bruja (death/sorrow/horror/vengeance). The novel cycles through all of these and returns back to them as the book progresses.
Pedrito is the first section, and I must say it contains one of the most shocking, unexpected scenes I have ever read. It starts this book off with the force and movement I have come to expect from a novel by Iglesias. The stories featuring Jaime and La Bruja, while different, are two other standout sections for me. Jaime struggles with life and expectations and family; his story and the ending showdown just resonated with me. La Bruja broke my heart and terrified me at the same time. Her story, for me, is close to what I consider the heart of this book.
All of the other characters have their own experiences with real-life horror, psychological darkness, and a fight against something larger than themselves. While these tales can be appreciated separately, there is something more. A common thread exists that ebbs and flows as the story requires, allowing each separate piece to both stand-alone and take its place with the others simultaneously. This isn’t a “smash you in the face” connection, I could just feel the fit, if that makes any sense at all. And I love it. I’m here for it. I mostly know why, but there is something intangible that I just can’t adequately convey.
This is the second novel I have read and loved by Iglesias. I opened October with his novel Zero Saints, and closing out the month with Coyote Songs is as near to perfection as I can hope for. Pick up this book. Read it. Inhale it. This is not one to miss.
I’m writing up a review for www.scifiandscary.com so stay tuned for my full review very soon. I’ve highlighted 20+ passages...the writing is beautiful.
Full review from my Sci-Fi and Scary entry:
This barrio noir is a stunning example of a mosaic horror/crime novel that pulls the reader through vastly different, yet similar, experiences. The sections are titled with the focus characters: Pedrito (heartbreaking/revenge/coming of age horror), The Mother (insanity/horror), The Coyote (justice/vigilante), Jaime (crime/family/final showdown), Alma (art vs life/body horror/advocacy vs. insanity), and La Bruja (death/sorrow/horror/vengeance). The novel cycles through all of these and returns back to them as the book progresses.
Pedrito is the first section, and I must say it contains one of the most shocking, unexpected scenes I have ever read. It starts this book off with the force and movement I have come to expect from a novel by Iglesias. The stories featuring Jaime and La Bruja, while different, are two other standout sections for me. Jaime struggles with life and expectations and family; his story and the ending showdown just resonated with me. La Bruja broke my heart and terrified me at the same time. Her story, for me, is close to what I consider the heart of this book.
All of the other characters have their own experiences with real-life horror, psychological darkness, and a fight against something larger than themselves. While these tales can be appreciated separately, there is something more. A common thread exists that ebbs and flows as the story requires, allowing each separate piece to both stand-alone and take its place with the others simultaneously. This isn’t a “smash you in the face” connection, I could just feel the fit, if that makes any sense at all. And I love it. I’m here for it. I mostly know why, but there is something intangible that I just can’t adequately convey.
This is the second novel I have read and loved by Iglesias. I opened October with his novel Zero Saints, and closing out the month with Coyote Songs is as near to perfection as I can hope for. Pick up this book. Read it. Inhale it. This is not one to miss.
December 8, 2018
Goodreads maxes out at a five-star rating, but this book deserves every star the sky can offer. Perfect and satisfying on every level. Horrifying and heart-wrenching, Gabino captures a brutally honest look at life on the border. I didn't want the stories within these pages to end, but as Gabino writes, "Every end is guaranteed." A strong contender for my favorite book of the year.
November 3, 2018
Coyote Songs is the spiritual successor to Gabino Iglesias' riveting Zero Saints, a stupendously brutal tale of dark redemption that became an instant cult classic upon release in 2015.
So, the bar was high for Iglesias and shrewdly enough, he decided to go in a slightly different direction. La Frontera, the lawless and terrifying setting of Zero Saints has somehow become a even worse place for migrants looking for a better life, taking parts of their soul in exchange for an unguaranteed passage to the promise land. There are several characters here: Pedrito who's life is unfairly dictacted by the loss of his father, Jaime who's body left prison while his soul remained locked up, Alma who's art collapses the tangible and the immaterial together and others I'll leave you the pleasure to meet yourselves. Their stories intertwine to give a bigger, terrifying picture for the doomed seeking greener pastures.
Coyote Songs is somehow more ambitious and cerebral than Zero Saints, but it's also a tad more impenetrable for readers who may not have the cultural touchstones to decipher the meaning of certain events. I felt a little embarrassed reading certain chapters, like a tourist walking through a landmark I knew nothing about. I loved a lot of things out of Coyote Songs. It was a few details short of transcendence like its predecessor, but it's a short, sharp and enjoyable read for those who like to challenge themselves.
So, the bar was high for Iglesias and shrewdly enough, he decided to go in a slightly different direction. La Frontera, the lawless and terrifying setting of Zero Saints has somehow become a even worse place for migrants looking for a better life, taking parts of their soul in exchange for an unguaranteed passage to the promise land. There are several characters here: Pedrito who's life is unfairly dictacted by the loss of his father, Jaime who's body left prison while his soul remained locked up, Alma who's art collapses the tangible and the immaterial together and others I'll leave you the pleasure to meet yourselves. Their stories intertwine to give a bigger, terrifying picture for the doomed seeking greener pastures.
Coyote Songs is somehow more ambitious and cerebral than Zero Saints, but it's also a tad more impenetrable for readers who may not have the cultural touchstones to decipher the meaning of certain events. I felt a little embarrassed reading certain chapters, like a tourist walking through a landmark I knew nothing about. I loved a lot of things out of Coyote Songs. It was a few details short of transcendence like its predecessor, but it's a short, sharp and enjoyable read for those who like to challenge themselves.
January 23, 2019
An absolutely riveting, heart-breaking mosaic of a novel that is both frightening and soul-rendering, Coyote Songs may very well be one of the most ground-breaking books of the past ten years.
Whether you call it a novel or a fiction collection (the category in which it will win the Bram Stoker Award for 2018 if there's an ounce of justice in the world), it is a must-read for every thinking person on this planet.
For those unaware, coyote is a colloquial Mexican expression for someone engaged in smuggling people across the US/Mexican border and this volume examines not only the coyote, but the environs in which they operate. But make no mistake, you will not be reading a documentary or a historical/sociological piece. What you'll be entering is a visual, sensual, visceral world inhabited by the coyote and everyone the coyote influences.
Broken into vignettes, Coyote Songs is unlike anything I've come across before. Each vignette, each small character-driven story, mingles with the others. Some are obvious, some implied, but they are each tales of magic. Some are obscenely maddening and bereft of morality; some are uplifting and full of promise. And if there are any morals to be drawn from Coyote Songs, as in any search for magic or sorcery, the first place to look is inside the human heart. And I think Gabino Iglesias knows the human heart--knows its heights and its depths. He put them in every page of this book.
Whether you call it a novel or a fiction collection (the category in which it will win the Bram Stoker Award for 2018 if there's an ounce of justice in the world), it is a must-read for every thinking person on this planet.
For those unaware, coyote is a colloquial Mexican expression for someone engaged in smuggling people across the US/Mexican border and this volume examines not only the coyote, but the environs in which they operate. But make no mistake, you will not be reading a documentary or a historical/sociological piece. What you'll be entering is a visual, sensual, visceral world inhabited by the coyote and everyone the coyote influences.
Broken into vignettes, Coyote Songs is unlike anything I've come across before. Each vignette, each small character-driven story, mingles with the others. Some are obvious, some implied, but they are each tales of magic. Some are obscenely maddening and bereft of morality; some are uplifting and full of promise. And if there are any morals to be drawn from Coyote Songs, as in any search for magic or sorcery, the first place to look is inside the human heart. And I think Gabino Iglesias knows the human heart--knows its heights and its depths. He put them in every page of this book.
October 26, 2020
Una grata sorpresa. La frontera México-EEUU es un área que de por sí no necesita mucha ficción para evocar escenas siniestras y, aún así, Iglesias le agrega sangre, fantasmas, criaturas sedientas de sangre y justicieros que la hacen más aterradora. Aunque uno quisiera siempre finales felices y bien cerrados, este libro nos recuerda que la vida pocas veces opera así.
El libro está narrado desde distintas perspectivas, sólo para que se den una idea estos son algunos de los personajes: un coyote que ayuda a los niños a cruzar la frontera, una activista/académica/performer que quiere desarrollar un espectáculo que de una lección a los racistas, una Madre que tiene un feto monstruoso en su interior, una Bruja/curandera que está intentando cruzar la frontera con su esposo e hijo.
Las partes de la Bruja fueron mis favoritas y las de La Madre me perturbaron bastante. El único hilo que se siente medio flojo es Jaime, (un ex convicto que está intentando rehacer su vida pero en un hogar lleno de violencia, sus probabilidades son más bien escasas) todos los otros personajes aportan algo a la historia.
Lo disfruté un montón.
El libro está narrado desde distintas perspectivas, sólo para que se den una idea estos son algunos de los personajes: un coyote que ayuda a los niños a cruzar la frontera, una activista/académica/performer que quiere desarrollar un espectáculo que de una lección a los racistas, una Madre que tiene un feto monstruoso en su interior, una Bruja/curandera que está intentando cruzar la frontera con su esposo e hijo.
Las partes de la Bruja fueron mis favoritas y las de La Madre me perturbaron bastante. El único hilo que se siente medio flojo es Jaime, (un ex convicto que está intentando rehacer su vida pero en un hogar lleno de violencia, sus probabilidades son más bien escasas) todos los otros personajes aportan algo a la historia.
Lo disfruté un montón.
September 10, 2020
4.5
Such a powerful book - the blurb at the back says it’s a novel, I’d kinda like to disagree with that. It’s one of the best interwoven collection of short stories I’ve read in a while (after Bryan Washington’s Lot) for two reasons - one it’s horror related; not your typical horror but more psychological more of what makes monsters of men and women. And secondly Iglesias prose is so tight and beautifully woven together - he’s proved with this collection that he is one gifted raconteur.
I loved all the characters but my favourite of the bunch were The Coyote and The Mother - both of their stories had me raptured with anticipation - the darkness within those two stories especially spoke to me when reading... but there is more to enjoy through all the lives that Iglesias brings to the page and the lives he showcases us in Coyote Songs.
Brutal, brave and deeply unsettling - how I like my fiction!
It’s disturbing in all the right ways! A must read...
Such a powerful book - the blurb at the back says it’s a novel, I’d kinda like to disagree with that. It’s one of the best interwoven collection of short stories I’ve read in a while (after Bryan Washington’s Lot) for two reasons - one it’s horror related; not your typical horror but more psychological more of what makes monsters of men and women. And secondly Iglesias prose is so tight and beautifully woven together - he’s proved with this collection that he is one gifted raconteur.
I loved all the characters but my favourite of the bunch were The Coyote and The Mother - both of their stories had me raptured with anticipation - the darkness within those two stories especially spoke to me when reading... but there is more to enjoy through all the lives that Iglesias brings to the page and the lives he showcases us in Coyote Songs.
Brutal, brave and deeply unsettling - how I like my fiction!
It’s disturbing in all the right ways! A must read...
November 8, 2024
This book was wild! A journey along - not through - the US-Mexico la frontera. It was tough, hard to take, full of sudden violence that comes out of nowhere right in your face when you're not expecting it...
I learned that I don't understand anything in Spanish. I thought that since it's another Latin language, I'd at least be able to make sense of it, but nooo... 😭
My main question is: is this book really bizarro? How so? I'm not sure I've found any really distinctive hallmarks of the genre.
I had a good time reading it, so the label isn't important at all, but I don't really understand why it won a Wonderland Book Award.
I learned that I don't understand anything in Spanish. I thought that since it's another Latin language, I'd at least be able to make sense of it, but nooo... 😭
My main question is: is this book really bizarro? How so? I'm not sure I've found any really distinctive hallmarks of the genre.
I had a good time reading it, so the label isn't important at all, but I don't really understand why it won a Wonderland Book Award.
February 5, 2019
This book is the reason we read, live, and breathe horror. It is a book I'd consider required reading, not just for horror fans, but for anyone who wants to read great literature that has a social impact, books that have something to say.
Pitched as a barrio noir, these stories live in the now, wafting through the dark social and political current we live in, buzzing on the wavelength of so many hopefuls looking for a better life, while ebbing into something stranger and more dangerous.
There are six different characters and each of their stories is told in alternating chapters. The book is almost more like a mosaic, a collection of short stories with intermingling characters, but what brings the collection together are the themes, beliefs, and raw honesty of the characters.
Iglesias has a magnetic quality to his writing that cannot be ignored. He strips each character bare to who they are and lets them tell their own story without any extra fluff. There is no romanticizing the difficulties of living on the frontier, the false promises about life in America, it is all just presented as a blast of reality.
Along with the astute commentary, what really makes Coyote Songs shine is the layer of myth that the stories and people are steeped in. There is a thread of unreality, of supernatural discontent that weaves throughout, sometimes more overt and sometimes barely noticeable. I loved it.
This is definitely a book I'll be recommending all year. I can't wait to read Zero Saints.
Pitched as a barrio noir, these stories live in the now, wafting through the dark social and political current we live in, buzzing on the wavelength of so many hopefuls looking for a better life, while ebbing into something stranger and more dangerous.
There are six different characters and each of their stories is told in alternating chapters. The book is almost more like a mosaic, a collection of short stories with intermingling characters, but what brings the collection together are the themes, beliefs, and raw honesty of the characters.
Iglesias has a magnetic quality to his writing that cannot be ignored. He strips each character bare to who they are and lets them tell their own story without any extra fluff. There is no romanticizing the difficulties of living on the frontier, the false promises about life in America, it is all just presented as a blast of reality.
Along with the astute commentary, what really makes Coyote Songs shine is the layer of myth that the stories and people are steeped in. There is a thread of unreality, of supernatural discontent that weaves throughout, sometimes more overt and sometimes barely noticeable. I loved it.
This is definitely a book I'll be recommending all year. I can't wait to read Zero Saints.
July 4, 2021
Coyote Songs was a very devastating read... It is significant that it is not the supernatural elements, the vindictive ghosts, a monster who eats children, the Virgin that tells a Coyote to kill for justice or the soul of a mother who has died in the back of a truck while trying to make it over the border and who vows for revenge for her dead child, are not the elements of horror here; in this book the most horrifying parts are the stories of refuge, of poverty, of police violence and of racism. Very bitter, very in-your-face and a must-read. I still think about it after having finished last week.
January 31, 2021
I just finished Coyote Songs and it was quite simply amazing. The separate stories were each and every one compelling and powerful and heartbreaking and inspiring in the sense that it lights a furious fire in the reader to want to make the world a better place, to be and do better. The prose is luscious and magical, Gabino weaves a spell with words. I can't say enough about this book. Everyone needs to read it.
March 16, 2019
A beautifully-written crime/horror mosaic. As good as anything I've read in recent memory. I don't even know where to start.
September 30, 2022
“They had taken love from her, and she was going to give them hate in return. A hate they hadn’t seen before. A hate that would destroy anything it encountered. A hate so deep and passionate it could only come from the devastated corpse of the most profound, all-encompassing, unconditional love ever felt. She was going to give them the kind of hate only a mother could feel.”
Full review coming soon but for now I'm just an emotional wreck.
Full review coming soon but for now I'm just an emotional wreck.
March 24, 2025
Quando pensiamo al Messico probabilmente ci vengono in mente spiagge caraibiche, cucina piccante, piramidi Maya e i colorati teschi che usano ad Halloween. Questo è quello che vediamo sulle guide turistiche, ma c'è una zona del Messico, per la precisione il confine con gli Stati Uniti, che è come un inferno sulla Terra, una zona di margini dove violenza e crudeltà vanno a braccetto con disperazione e vendetta. Ed è proprio qui che Gabino Iglesias ci porta con Coyote Songs.
Un mosaico di generi ed esperienze
Partiamo subito col dire che è difficile inquadrare ed etichettare questo libro in un genere predefinito, poiché incorpora elementi horror, pulp e noir. Quello che di sicuro sappiamo è che Iglesias è stato in grado di fondere generi diversi, creando un’opera poliedrica che riesce a catturare l’attenzione del lettore su più livelli e generando un'esperienza di lettura davvero intensa.
"Coyote Songs" è un esempio di "libro mosaico", una struttura narrativa in cui la storia è raccontata attraverso una serie di frammenti, spesso con punti di vista diversi e linee temporali differenti. Invece di seguire una trama lineare, il lettore deve ricostruire la storia mettendo insieme i pezzi del mosaico. Nello specifico seguiremo a rotazione le vicende di sei personaggi, ognuna scollegata dalle altre, ma in qualche modo connesse insieme e questa tecnica diventa lo strumento principale con cui Iglesias esprime la pluralità di esperienze.
Storie di confine
I sei punti di vista creati dall'autore sono molto differenti l'uno dall'altro: dalla partita di pesca finita nel sangue, al partorire una creatura mostruosa, da visioni di una vendicativa Vergine Maria ai soprusi di un estraneo verso la propria madre, dal tentativo di attraversare il confine all'utilizzo dei social media per atti estremi. Nonostante la diversità, c'è un filo conduttore in questi racconti, o meglio, ce ne sono molti.
L'autore dipinge in ogni tassello del mosaico un quadro vivido della vita ai margini della società, dove la povertà, i soprusi e la violenza creano un'atmosfera di costante pericolo e disperazione. I personaggi sono individui tormentati, che vacillano tra l’agonia e la speranza, spinti al limite dell'umanità. I temi trattati (l'immigrazione, la violenza di genere, la corruzione, la lotta per la sopravvivenza) sono reali e crudi, descritti con uno stile diretto e incisivo.
Un'opera potente
"Coyote Songs" è un'opera potente, provocatoria, che lascia un segno indelebile in chi lo legge. La sua struttura a mosaico e il suo linguaggio crudo, spesso infarcito con dialoghi in spagnolo, lo rendono una lettura impegnativa, ma anche estremamente gratificante per chi cerca un'esperienza letteraria unica e fuori dagli schemi. È una di quelle opere che fai fatica a raccontare (recensire) perché è “troppo oltre” e l’unico aggettivo davvero calzante è semplicemente: capolavoro.
CONSIGLIATO a chi cerca emozioni forti e tematiche profonde.
NON CONSIGLIATO a chi cerca letture da spiaggia.
COSA MI È PIACIUTO
- Stile diretto e crudo
- Imprevedibile
- Ti lascia scosso e turbato
- Estremamente attuale
COSA NON MI È PIACIUTO
- A volte è difficile seguire troppi dialoghi in spagnolo
Un mosaico di generi ed esperienze
Partiamo subito col dire che è difficile inquadrare ed etichettare questo libro in un genere predefinito, poiché incorpora elementi horror, pulp e noir. Quello che di sicuro sappiamo è che Iglesias è stato in grado di fondere generi diversi, creando un’opera poliedrica che riesce a catturare l’attenzione del lettore su più livelli e generando un'esperienza di lettura davvero intensa.
"Coyote Songs" è un esempio di "libro mosaico", una struttura narrativa in cui la storia è raccontata attraverso una serie di frammenti, spesso con punti di vista diversi e linee temporali differenti. Invece di seguire una trama lineare, il lettore deve ricostruire la storia mettendo insieme i pezzi del mosaico. Nello specifico seguiremo a rotazione le vicende di sei personaggi, ognuna scollegata dalle altre, ma in qualche modo connesse insieme e questa tecnica diventa lo strumento principale con cui Iglesias esprime la pluralità di esperienze.
Storie di confine
I sei punti di vista creati dall'autore sono molto differenti l'uno dall'altro: dalla partita di pesca finita nel sangue, al partorire una creatura mostruosa, da visioni di una vendicativa Vergine Maria ai soprusi di un estraneo verso la propria madre, dal tentativo di attraversare il confine all'utilizzo dei social media per atti estremi. Nonostante la diversità, c'è un filo conduttore in questi racconti, o meglio, ce ne sono molti.
L'autore dipinge in ogni tassello del mosaico un quadro vivido della vita ai margini della società, dove la povertà, i soprusi e la violenza creano un'atmosfera di costante pericolo e disperazione. I personaggi sono individui tormentati, che vacillano tra l’agonia e la speranza, spinti al limite dell'umanità. I temi trattati (l'immigrazione, la violenza di genere, la corruzione, la lotta per la sopravvivenza) sono reali e crudi, descritti con uno stile diretto e incisivo.
Un'opera potente
"Coyote Songs" è un'opera potente, provocatoria, che lascia un segno indelebile in chi lo legge. La sua struttura a mosaico e il suo linguaggio crudo, spesso infarcito con dialoghi in spagnolo, lo rendono una lettura impegnativa, ma anche estremamente gratificante per chi cerca un'esperienza letteraria unica e fuori dagli schemi. È una di quelle opere che fai fatica a raccontare (recensire) perché è “troppo oltre” e l’unico aggettivo davvero calzante è semplicemente: capolavoro.
CONSIGLIATO a chi cerca emozioni forti e tematiche profonde.
NON CONSIGLIATO a chi cerca letture da spiaggia.
COSA MI È PIACIUTO
- Stile diretto e crudo
- Imprevedibile
- Ti lascia scosso e turbato
- Estremamente attuale
COSA NON MI È PIACIUTO
- A volte è difficile seguire troppi dialoghi in spagnolo
January 26, 2019
How do I even begin to tell you how incredibly important this book is? It's not just a literary gem; a metaphorical punch to the gut that stuns you, sends you crashing into the ground and then elevates you into a stratosphere of poetic prose.
No, that's not all this book is, although that alone would have been worth it, it would have been enough. This is also a necessary political and socio-cultural commentary. A violent, deadly ride across both sides of la frontera.
This bilingual mosaic of interconnected stories is unlike anything I've read before. Being bilingual myself, the Spanish passages made the narrative all the more intense, personal and heartbreaking. ¡Ay, Gabino! ¿Qué le has hecho a mi pobre corazón? Este libro me lo dejó en pedazos. Pedrito se quedará grabado en mi mente por mucho tiempo.
It's very limiting for me to define this book as just "barrio noir", even if it fits. It's just so much more than that. So much more. Read the first chapter and I dare you to just stop there. You won't be able to. And you won't regret it. This book has found a spot on my list of all time favorite books and Gabino Iglesias has gained a constant reader. I've already ordered his other book, Zero Saints.
No, that's not all this book is, although that alone would have been worth it, it would have been enough. This is also a necessary political and socio-cultural commentary. A violent, deadly ride across both sides of la frontera.
This bilingual mosaic of interconnected stories is unlike anything I've read before. Being bilingual myself, the Spanish passages made the narrative all the more intense, personal and heartbreaking. ¡Ay, Gabino! ¿Qué le has hecho a mi pobre corazón? Este libro me lo dejó en pedazos. Pedrito se quedará grabado en mi mente por mucho tiempo.
It's very limiting for me to define this book as just "barrio noir", even if it fits. It's just so much more than that. So much more. Read the first chapter and I dare you to just stop there. You won't be able to. And you won't regret it. This book has found a spot on my list of all time favorite books and Gabino Iglesias has gained a constant reader. I've already ordered his other book, Zero Saints.
April 8, 2019
Initially drawn in by the beautiful cover art, then intrigued by the many 5 star reviews on social media, I purchased this book for myself. This was my first read from Gabino Iglesias, and it certainly won't be my last.
Coyote Songs takes us on a journey in the lives of several characters, and each of their stories are profound and leave a lasting impression on the reader. This book is different than anything else I've read, as it feels like a blend of genres. It's my first venture into "barrio noir"; it's gritty, thought-provoking, and heartbreaking.
I look forward to reading more from this author!
Coyote Songs takes us on a journey in the lives of several characters, and each of their stories are profound and leave a lasting impression on the reader. This book is different than anything else I've read, as it feels like a blend of genres. It's my first venture into "barrio noir"; it's gritty, thought-provoking, and heartbreaking.
I look forward to reading more from this author!
July 18, 2024
Of course I always hope to like a book I pick up, I mean what else would be the point. But with Gabino Iglesias I entered with some skepticism as to whether his brand of blending Horror with Crime-Thriller would be for me. I was clearly intrigued, otherwise we wouldn't we be here doing this review, yet a part of me expected to not love this. Luckily, I had quite the time with it and am for sure ready to try a proper novel by him to decide if I indeed like his specific sub-genre.
Something that really enamored me to "Coyote Songs" was the structure. I am known to love a good novel-in-short-stories or interconnected collection and this was an extension of that. In his acknowledgments Iglesias refers to it as a Mosaic Novel. New term for me and so up my alley. Reminiscent of the aforementioned concepts: in each chapter we follow a different story line/ character, six all together and then we revisit each character every 6th chapter (hope that makes sense). And of course all these arcs share themes but at least in this case they don't overlap too much until a few of them do at the very end. I am sure some will not love this disjointed storytelling but I thought it created a very powerful complete picture.
We are near the American-Mexican border which plays a significant role in the plot as does the topic of immigration, particularly through a modern lens with a look at current politics in that regard. There are characters that have crossed in the past, those trying to cross now, those being involved in helping crossing. We have criminals and regular folks and then supernatural beings. The experience of being in the US while feeling less than accepted vs. the threat of cartels in Mexico. The cycle of violence is a huge central thread and violent this book is. There are supernatural components, taking inspirations from dark Mexican folklore. And I truly enjoyed how all these elements flowed into each other just like the chapters themselves felt like the movement of an accordion. Beautiful flow of some very ugly but necessary and brutal stories.
Fittingly, this novel incorporates a lot of Spanish language, I'd guess about 75% of the dialogue is in Spanish. Which could be challenging depending on your knowledge of the language. You don't need to translate everything, some becomes clear enough from the context but if you are like me you'll want to know the nuances. My Spanish knowledge is rather basic but I was fine with looking up a bunch of words that weren't familiar to me, the grammar is very simple (I'd say purposefully so). Would be curious if it read weird to native speakers but I was glad I could translate it fairly easily and have a little Spanish lesson on the side (I could tell I was getting better as the novel moved along). This gave the story a huge level of authenticity. One of my biggest pet peeves in film is if characters are not speaking their own language when they normally would or with a weird accent instead, so even if it made me work I appreciated this aspect (taught me a bunch of swear words, regular classes usually don't cover that).
The nature of a narration like this is that some story threads feel more compelling than others, and I wonder if that is why I am not quite giving the highest rating. Some of the stories I was hoping for something more with their endings, but others ended so shocking and so well written, my complaints are nitpicky. This is a very fabulous book and yet I can't quite give the full rating, maybe I am holding out for that Iglesias follow up novel that will completely sweep me off my feet?
4.5*
Something that really enamored me to "Coyote Songs" was the structure. I am known to love a good novel-in-short-stories or interconnected collection and this was an extension of that. In his acknowledgments Iglesias refers to it as a Mosaic Novel. New term for me and so up my alley. Reminiscent of the aforementioned concepts: in each chapter we follow a different story line/ character, six all together and then we revisit each character every 6th chapter (hope that makes sense). And of course all these arcs share themes but at least in this case they don't overlap too much until a few of them do at the very end. I am sure some will not love this disjointed storytelling but I thought it created a very powerful complete picture.
We are near the American-Mexican border which plays a significant role in the plot as does the topic of immigration, particularly through a modern lens with a look at current politics in that regard. There are characters that have crossed in the past, those trying to cross now, those being involved in helping crossing. We have criminals and regular folks and then supernatural beings. The experience of being in the US while feeling less than accepted vs. the threat of cartels in Mexico. The cycle of violence is a huge central thread and violent this book is. There are supernatural components, taking inspirations from dark Mexican folklore. And I truly enjoyed how all these elements flowed into each other just like the chapters themselves felt like the movement of an accordion. Beautiful flow of some very ugly but necessary and brutal stories.
Fittingly, this novel incorporates a lot of Spanish language, I'd guess about 75% of the dialogue is in Spanish. Which could be challenging depending on your knowledge of the language. You don't need to translate everything, some becomes clear enough from the context but if you are like me you'll want to know the nuances. My Spanish knowledge is rather basic but I was fine with looking up a bunch of words that weren't familiar to me, the grammar is very simple (I'd say purposefully so). Would be curious if it read weird to native speakers but I was glad I could translate it fairly easily and have a little Spanish lesson on the side (I could tell I was getting better as the novel moved along). This gave the story a huge level of authenticity. One of my biggest pet peeves in film is if characters are not speaking their own language when they normally would or with a weird accent instead, so even if it made me work I appreciated this aspect (taught me a bunch of swear words, regular classes usually don't cover that).
The nature of a narration like this is that some story threads feel more compelling than others, and I wonder if that is why I am not quite giving the highest rating. Some of the stories I was hoping for something more with their endings, but others ended so shocking and so well written, my complaints are nitpicky. This is a very fabulous book and yet I can't quite give the full rating, maybe I am holding out for that Iglesias follow up novel that will completely sweep me off my feet?
4.5*
September 3, 2019
Urgent, visceral, angry—Coyote Songs digs deep into the horror of the US-Mexico border. Told through a series of non-intersecting—though thematically connected—narratives, Coyote Songs forms a mosaic of pain and torture and forces readers to stick their noses into just how unjust the world is right now.
Gabino Iglesias introduces gods and mythology into the spirits of those fighting against or subject to racism in America and fictionalizes very real stories in an extremely compelling way.
This book was devastatingly difficult to read. Lyrical? Yes. Poignant? Pressing? Very. Violent? Torturous. Reading Coyote Songs is being yelled at. You are compelled to just shut up, listen, feel it and then go do something about it.
Gabino Iglesias introduces gods and mythology into the spirits of those fighting against or subject to racism in America and fictionalizes very real stories in an extremely compelling way.
This book was devastatingly difficult to read. Lyrical? Yes. Poignant? Pressing? Very. Violent? Torturous. Reading Coyote Songs is being yelled at. You are compelled to just shut up, listen, feel it and then go do something about it.
May 28, 2019
4.5 ⭐️. A remarkable tapestry of tales that look at the horrific underbellies of justice and redemption. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.
May 24, 2019
“You have to care about the living, kid, because the dead don’t matter, unless you believe in ghosts.”
.
Believe in ghost indeed, this book is haunted by them, Iglesias weaves a mosaic of stories and characters together in such a shocking way it’s hard to tell if this novel is more crime noir, horror, or a stunning portrayal of shatteringly relevant topics.
.
.
Six characters alternate these chapters, six people living on the border in Mexico all striving for something. Pedrito, is just a boy who witnessed his fathers head blown off in front of him seeking revenge in disastrous ways. The “Mother” of the boy is coping with the loss of her husband and the strange thing growing inside of her that might not actually be a child like she was planning for. The Coyote who believes he’s doing the work of the Virgin Mary getting children across the border into America at all cost. Jaime, a misguided youth who just gets out of prison and wants a better life but ultimately will do anything to never go back to the incarcerated life. Alma who so desperately wants to make a statement for millions to see and be recognized and bring light to topics most ignore. And lastly La Bruja, whom I perceive as a ghost, a haunting, a representation over every other character and the brutal life they must live in order to find some sort of freedom. All circling around “the orange ones” immigrant ban and border crisis this book is an alarming look into the lives of these HUMANS who are looked at and treated like animals, all trying to survive and thrive like the rest of us. .
.
Believe in ghost indeed, this book is haunted by them, Iglesias weaves a mosaic of stories and characters together in such a shocking way it’s hard to tell if this novel is more crime noir, horror, or a stunning portrayal of shatteringly relevant topics.
.
.
Six characters alternate these chapters, six people living on the border in Mexico all striving for something. Pedrito, is just a boy who witnessed his fathers head blown off in front of him seeking revenge in disastrous ways. The “Mother” of the boy is coping with the loss of her husband and the strange thing growing inside of her that might not actually be a child like she was planning for. The Coyote who believes he’s doing the work of the Virgin Mary getting children across the border into America at all cost. Jaime, a misguided youth who just gets out of prison and wants a better life but ultimately will do anything to never go back to the incarcerated life. Alma who so desperately wants to make a statement for millions to see and be recognized and bring light to topics most ignore. And lastly La Bruja, whom I perceive as a ghost, a haunting, a representation over every other character and the brutal life they must live in order to find some sort of freedom. All circling around “the orange ones” immigrant ban and border crisis this book is an alarming look into the lives of these HUMANS who are looked at and treated like animals, all trying to survive and thrive like the rest of us. .
July 9, 2019
This one had been on my list for a good while, and in my possession for a couple weeks before I turned the first page. I was waiting for a time when I'd be able to read unmolested by life, work and so on. It ended up being a good choice, as I ploughed through it in a matter of days - and I'm usually a fairly slow reader.
Coyote Songs comprises several stories, told piece by piece, of different people with different problems, along the southern border of the US. Some of these stories intertwine, others don't. What they all contain, though, is pain and emotion and cold, hard reality (often blended with supernatural elements, folk lore, etc).
What amplifies the pain is the humanity of the characters. They are real, three dimensional, relatable. When tragedy hits them it is relentless, inescapable and sends them on the path to still greater horrors.
The use of Spanglish, for anyone with any grasp of a second language, only adds to the authenticity of the cast and their locales.
To end, this is a roller coaster ride of emotions, it is a work of horror, of people on the edge of oblivion, but it's also an important look, for those of us fortunate enough not to be affected by the issues associated with being a prisoner of geography, at the horrors that lurk in that life.
Just read the book, now.
Coyote Songs comprises several stories, told piece by piece, of different people with different problems, along the southern border of the US. Some of these stories intertwine, others don't. What they all contain, though, is pain and emotion and cold, hard reality (often blended with supernatural elements, folk lore, etc).
What amplifies the pain is the humanity of the characters. They are real, three dimensional, relatable. When tragedy hits them it is relentless, inescapable and sends them on the path to still greater horrors.
The use of Spanglish, for anyone with any grasp of a second language, only adds to the authenticity of the cast and their locales.
To end, this is a roller coaster ride of emotions, it is a work of horror, of people on the edge of oblivion, but it's also an important look, for those of us fortunate enough not to be affected by the issues associated with being a prisoner of geography, at the horrors that lurk in that life.
Just read the book, now.
February 16, 2019
Proving his mastery of evocative descriptions, Iglesias delivers some powerful, gut-punching scenes, blending mysticism with timely current events. Sad, horrifying, and haunting, the contents of these pages won't leave you any time soon. Certainly, a compelling read.
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