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** I received an ARC for an honest review **
Description
For childhood friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, Paul, and Bimbo, death has always been close. Hurricanes. Car accidents. Gang violence. Suicide. Estamos rodeados de fantasmas was Gabe’s grandmother’s refrain. We are surrounded by ghosts. But this time is different. Bimbo’s mom has been shot dead. We’re gonna kill the guys who killed her Bimbo swears. And they all agree.
Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names. Soon, they learn Maria was gunned down by guys working for the drug kingpin of Puerto Rico. No one has ever gone up against him and survived. As the boys strategize, a storm gathers far from the coast. Hurricanes are known to carry evil spirits in their currents and bring them ashore, spirits which impose their own order.
Blurring the boundaries between myth, mysticism, and the grim realities of our world, House of Bone and Rain is a harrowing coming of age story; a doomed tale of devotion, the afterlife of violence, and what rolls in on the tide.
Summary
I was fortunate to read House of Bone and Rain by US horror and dark fiction author, Gabino Iglesias.
Review
Iglesias offers a haunting narrative melding the dark brutal realities of immigrant street life with elements of supernatural horror and an unsettling folklore throughout. The House of Bone and Rain reveals a community grappling with poverty, violence, gang warfare with the backdrop of Hurricane Maria, a folkloric strength which becomes almost a character in the novel where myth and reality blur.
Iglesias crafts a dark fiction with masterful storytelling to create this unsettling atmosphere focused on a group of teenage friends battling grief, loyalty, and blurred lines between the living and the dead. The pace of the novel matches that of the incoming hurricane which keep the atmospheric presence of Hurricane Maria as a constant threat which looms larger than the underworld crime gangs and violence in reality. The tension and intensity of the writing provides momentum for this novel which combines crime, dark fiction, supernatural and folkloric elements in a superb work. The underworld of crime and street life in a community of repeating trauma and violence is a deep undertone to this novel that makes a compelling argument for generational trauma and the unswerving repetition of crime and violence.
Conclusion
House of Bone and Rain is a must for fans of Iglesias work. This is a horror novel exposing the enduring impact of violence and generational trauma. A skillful combination of dark fiction, horror, supernatural, crime and folklore that makes this a standout read. Highly recommended!
** This is my personal opinion and does not reflect any judging decisions **
Leanbh Pearson 