3.5
The Bullet Swallower
ByPublisher Description
A “mesmerizing...wildly entertaining” (The Boston Globe) magical realism western in the vein of Cormac McCarthy meets Gabriel García Márquez, The Bullet Swallower follows a Mexican bandido as he sets off for Texas to rob a train, only to encounter a mysterious figure who has come, finally, to collect a cosmic debt generations in the making.
In 1895, Antonio Sonoro is the latest in a long line of ruthless men. He’s good with his gun and drawn to trouble but he’s also out of money and out of options. A drought has ravaged the town of Dorado, Mexico, where he lives with his wife and children, and so when he hears about a train laden with gold and other treasures, he sets off for Houston to rob it—with his younger brother Hugo in tow. But when the heist goes awry and Hugo is killed by the Texas Rangers, Antonio finds himself launched into a quest for revenge that endangers not only his life and his family, but his eternal soul.
In 1964, Jaime Sonoro is Mexico’s most renowned actor and singer. But his comfortable life is disrupted when he discovers a book that purports to tell the entire history of his family beginning with Cain and Abel. In its ancient pages, Jaime learns about the multitude of horrific crimes committed by his ancestors. And when the same mysterious figure from Antonio’s timeline shows up in Mexico City, Jaime realizes that he may be the one who has to pay for his ancestors’ crimes, unless he can discover the true story of his grandfather Antonio, the legendary bandido El Tragabalas, The Bullet Swallower.
A family saga that’s epic in scope and loosely based on the author’s own great-grandfather, The Bullet Swallower is “rich in lyrical language, gripping action, and enchanting magical realism” (Esquire). It tackles border politics, intergenerational trauma, and the legacies of racism and colonialism in a lush setting with stunning prose that asks who pays for the sins of our ancestors and whether it is possible to be better than our forebearers.
In 1895, Antonio Sonoro is the latest in a long line of ruthless men. He’s good with his gun and drawn to trouble but he’s also out of money and out of options. A drought has ravaged the town of Dorado, Mexico, where he lives with his wife and children, and so when he hears about a train laden with gold and other treasures, he sets off for Houston to rob it—with his younger brother Hugo in tow. But when the heist goes awry and Hugo is killed by the Texas Rangers, Antonio finds himself launched into a quest for revenge that endangers not only his life and his family, but his eternal soul.
In 1964, Jaime Sonoro is Mexico’s most renowned actor and singer. But his comfortable life is disrupted when he discovers a book that purports to tell the entire history of his family beginning with Cain and Abel. In its ancient pages, Jaime learns about the multitude of horrific crimes committed by his ancestors. And when the same mysterious figure from Antonio’s timeline shows up in Mexico City, Jaime realizes that he may be the one who has to pay for his ancestors’ crimes, unless he can discover the true story of his grandfather Antonio, the legendary bandido El Tragabalas, The Bullet Swallower.
A family saga that’s epic in scope and loosely based on the author’s own great-grandfather, The Bullet Swallower is “rich in lyrical language, gripping action, and enchanting magical realism” (Esquire). It tackles border politics, intergenerational trauma, and the legacies of racism and colonialism in a lush setting with stunning prose that asks who pays for the sins of our ancestors and whether it is possible to be better than our forebearers.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Bullet Swallower Reviews
3.5
“Loved it!! I went in to it expecting very little, I will be honest. I love westerns in theory but I always have a love-hate relationship with them. Seeing this book has a magic element to it, made me fear that this was less true western and more Hollywood western. Now, I don't have much knowledge about historically accurate westerns but to me this read felt real enough.
Especially reading the author's note at the end!
The magic element isn't overbearing, it's mystical but the story remains very human.”
“I really enjoyed the beautiful writing and philosophical questions this story posed. Also the main character Antonio, the titular bullett swallower, gets more and more interesting the longer you accompany him on his odyssee. Although he is heavily flawed and makes all the wrong decisions, he is kind of likable or becomes more so the longer you read (or at least for me it worked that way). He is so multi layered and somehow torn between being a decent guy who helps others and loves his family and a bandit who is violent and whores around. His journey, which is also very mich influencer by the dire situation he is born into, managed to make me cry a little at its conclusion, which goes to Show that this book really touched something in me.
I also Loved that the storytelling was quite cinematic in a way. All the time during reading I had pictures from some of my fave movies/series in mind, e.g. "There will be blood" and also "Twin Peaks". The magical reaisml part of the story especially triggered this.
What bothered me a little was that the other main character Jaime had significantly shorter chapters, while I would have enjoyed to get a little more deep dive into his personality, too. In the beginning it felt like I was grinding through the very long Antonio chapters to finally get some more in Jaime.
Overall I definitely recommend raading this, If you are into magical realism at all and also If you like stories with multilayered characters who experience change and growth.”
“Thought it would be something different for me and sounded promising, just didn’t take off. Found it too brief.”
“I think I need to read more Westerns. But honestly this book was so fascinating and well done. I’m also a sucker for a generational story and I loved the inclusion of magical realism as well as serious contemplations on what it means to repent and repair during our time on earth.”
About Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Elizabeth Gonzalez James is the author of the novel Mona at Sea, as well as the chapbook, Five Conversations About Peter Sellers. Her stories and essays have appeared in The Idaho Review, Southern Humanities Review, The Rumpus, StorySouth, PANK, and elsewhere, and have received numerous Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. Originally from South Texas, Elizabeth now lives with her family in Massachusetts.
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