Gabino Iglesias

So the written word doesn't lend itself well to "found footage" which, by implication, takes place in a visual medium. For one thing, text has already appropriated the conceit of "this really happened, isn't it scary" through epistolaries, stories told through documents, and stories that the author heard from a friend of a friend, like The Time Machine or Heart of Darkness. Not that these ever made much sense (Jonathan Harker: "I just saw my client crawling down the side of the castle he show more owns, and then three hot vampire chicks were by my bed about to eat me. I totally need to escape, but first, I'll write a letter about it!")

Nonetheless, the selections in here do a good job at pulling it off. Some are in "document form" like I said before, because that's the equivalent of found footage for books. But some are just narrative, and they're surprisingly great. Some are scary, some are funny. Most are stories about the footage that was found, not a "you're really there" style. But they're all entertaining. It reminded me a lot of the V/H/S series. show less

Well-executed, well-done, but very much not for everyone. Of the "hard-boiled" genre, but instead of the cool detachment of the classic style, this one amps everything up to 11 on a 10-point scale, owing as much to Tarantino as Hammett. It features a plot like an action movie, with ramped-up emotions and violence, and a writing style similarly bursting with local color and over-spiced with metaphors. The author does what he sets out to do, and it's not boring. On the other hand, to put it in show more a style similar to that used the book, it can feel like being hit in the face, over and over again, with a bag of Old Texas bricks, until the blood courses down, warm and salty, like the tears of an angel. show less

The thing about humanity is that it’s always worse than the worst you can imagine. We are base, vile creatures rutting in the muck we’ve created, our eyes looking up at a poisoned sky we’ve populated with ghosts to help us sleep at night, to allow us to come up with reasons to do the things we do.”

“It was a house that spoke of kids with no fucking chance of going to college and of angry mothers having to walk a couple of miles to the bus stop so they can go to their shitty cashier show more or cleaning jobs. Yeah, it was a busted house that was part of the country’s DNA. “

“...sometimes God is your copilot, but it’s the devil who takes you home.”

As you can tell from the sunny quotes I have included, this is a brutal novel. I like dark and gritty but this one goes places I even found perversley unsettling. The story follows Mario, a man buried in medical debt, haunted by the death of his young daughter and his subsequent divorce from his wife. He desperately takes on duties as a hitman, making hefty sums of cash, and when an opportunity comes up to make a big score, so he can leave that ugly, violent life, he takes it. Of course, it involves ripping off a Mexican cartel, so you know it isn’t going to end well. Obviously, this is not for everyone but the writing is very good and if you have the stomach for it, give it a try. show less

"Being in the presence of monsters is okay as long as you don't think too much about they're capable of. The scarier thing is when you realize what you're capable of yourself."

It's Day 16 of #prheritagemonthtour and today I'm sharing a horror rec that I still can't get out my mind. The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias is a work of art like none I've ever experienced before. Iglesias manages to twist you all up in knots with gore and violence while at the same time stripping humanity show more down to the core with his beautiful sentences and insightful thoughts. Through his characters, he shows you that life is about decisions and no one person is either all good or all bad. He challenges you to rethink what a "villain" looks like. Is it actually people or is it the systems of oppression that force people to make extreme choices in order to survive?

Iglesia's ability to blend genres and play with reality adds to heightened anxiety. He brings the barrio and border to life and flips the stereotypes about them on their heads. He gives you layered, complicated characters with flaws. He challenges you to take a look at what is behind their decisions and who is responsible. He holds nothing back and puts everything on the page. You feel all the raw emotions and you experience all the graphic violence. You want to look away but his storytelling makes it almost impossible.

Horror that reflects the reality of life is my favorite. Iglesias shines in this area. He shows you who the real monsters are: capitalism, racism, broken for profit medical system, U.S. complicity in "drug wars" and collapsing economies, medical bias, poverty, religious radicalism, white supremacy, and gun violence. People are portrayed as the bad guys, but hiding behind the scenes are the real world issues that have played puppeteer and orchestrated some of the decisions made. Iglesias plays clever literary tricks with the mind through his interplay with folklore and the supernatural. Language is an added bonus. Iglesias mixes Mexican and Puerto Rican Spanish and dialect seamlessly. Every word resonated and felt familiar. Iglesias has solidified himself as a voice to be reckoned with.

I want to warn you that this one is not for the faint of heart. This one is horror at its grittiest and goriest. This is the blend of horror that bites back because the writing is so sharp. The storytelling is vivid and masterful. Iglesias has earned his place in my list of auto-buy authors. If you're looking for a deep look into the morally gray areas of life and humanity, look no further than this one. I highly recommend you pick this one up and prepare for the darkest, wildest ride of your life. show less