What I'm Reading: Hose of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias

In the June issue of Booklist I have a STAR review for one of the best books I have read all year, in any genre. 

Yes, Iglesias won the Stoker Award AND the Shirley Jackson Award for The Devil Takes You Home, and yes, it was amazing, but House of Bone and Rain is BETTER, in every way. I only had 200 words to officially share how great it is in Booklist, but thankfully, I have this blog post to share my draft review and talk about it some more.

Also, heads up, over on the Horror blog, I am giving away a SIGNED arc of this book this week courtesy of Iglesias himself.

Here is the review and bonus notes.

STAR
House of Bones and Rain 
by Gabino Iglesias
Aug. 2024. 352p. Little, Brown/Mulholland, $29 (9780316427012). 
REVIEW. First published June 1, 2024 (Booklist).

“All stories are ghost stories,” repeats Gabe (until all truly feel its meaning), the narrator of Iglesias’ stellar Horror-Thriller hybrid set in Puerto Rico amidst 2017’s devastating Hurricane Maria. When his mother is gunned down at work, best friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, and Paul join Bimbo in his quest for revenge, attempting to take out the biggest drug lord on the island under cover of the storm’s aftermath. The unsettling tone, high tension, and brisk pace are enhanced by striking free verse poems at the start of each chapter that foreshadow what is coming without giving anything away. However, it is Gabe’s engaging narration that will hook readers. He is honest and conflicted, but bursting with love despite the real life horrors that surround him. Intricately plotted, with a strong sense of place, told with awe inspiringly lyrical language and brutal violence, this is a remarkable novel that beams its hope into the darkness; a story that stands on its own as wholly original while confidently inserting itself into a conversation with Horror’s complicated past. A story that will introduce readers to a new favorite author while they wait for the next S.A. Cosby or Stephen Graham Jones.

Three Words That Describe This Book: revenge, lyrical and brutal, engaging narration

Further Appeal: so many notes.

• A sense of place so strong that you are immersed in it, doused with the rain and the heat and the wind.
• Well paced. It moves quickly even though Iglesias takes his time to develop the characters-- all of them, not just the best friends-- and the place and its history. OMG the history. It is perfect. We understand how everyone got to where they are and how the "bad guys" created their empire. And the reason is tied to Horror's history as well. That part is PERFECT!
• Lots of beautiful language to stop and read again but the pacing stays brisk. The chapters are not too long and with a free verse poem at the open which summarizes the chapter you are about to read, as a reader, you fell that poem pulling you to the end of the chapter. Then you read the next chapter's header and you are ready to dive in for more. It is very satisfying.
• So many underlined lines but one refrain-- All Stories Are Ghost Stories. This one is the novel in 5 words.
• THIS BOOK! Okay just like everything Iglesias writes this is a book that perfectly balances some of the most lyrical language you will read with some of the most gritty and dark violence. But in this book, he has improved in every way in terms of storytelling. Yes even improved from the Bram Stoker Award and Shirley Jackson Award winning The Devil Takes You Home. Why because the writing is even stronger and the thriller-horror combo works even better together.
• The tensions from the start is HIGH. Hurricane Maria ia about to hit Puerto Rico and as readers, we know that it is going to be bad. Very bad. But also, a character's mom is killed and they are vowing revenge so also TENSE.
• The characters are great. All of them, good, bad, monsters. The storytelling through characters is elite. The main characters are a group of 5 friends. They are more like brothers. All are just out of high school. They always stand up for each other no matter what. Gabe is the only one of the group who narrates and he narrates 95% of the chapters. You can count on one hand the times someone or something else takes a narration turn. But the characters themselves-- best friends who all live in Puerto Rico-- Iglesias challenges US mainland readers to confront their own racism about people from PR because each of the 5 guys is diverse in every way, even a range of skin color which I loved that he called out. They represent the diversity of who lives in this US colony and how they got there. There is even a character who doesn't know Spanish. Iglesias adds in some important Dominican characters which is also important group of immigrants on the island.
• The twists-- there is a big one and I will not give it away because that is unfair to Igelsias and the reader but what this twist does is plant a flag for this book as something wholly original but also a story that is in an active conversation with the genre's past. It forces a love for the that past but also with a clear, strong statement that the white men aren't in charge anymore. I loved that about this book. It makes the book better. And then as the last third plays out (post twist) it continues to get better and everything is explained in a way that is clear and makes sense within the parameters of the world Iglesias has set up. And like all the best books, every detail Iglesias included in the book matters in the end. So satisfying as a reader.
• The place. Iglesias' love for his home of Puerto Rico shines through on every page-- even admits his criticism of its worst parts. He evokes the place with all 5 senses and especially captures what life is like post hurricane. 
• The free verse poems that start each chapter. I mentioned them above. They are beautiful, chilling, unsettling, upsetting, and just perfect. This elevated and already stellar book.
• Despite the violence and despair, this book is full of love and hope. Just like a S.A. Cosby and Stephen Graham Jones. This book nestles right in between the two. Every one of your patrons who likes Cosby needs to read this book. And vice versa for Jones. They are hugging this book.

Readalikes: As I have already said, Stephen Graham Jones and SA Cosby are perfect readalikes. You have so many people who love both of those authors. Hand this out freely to them. Also David Joy is a writer who captures his place-- Appalachia-- with a critical eye but intense love much like Iglesias does. 

Get a few copies of this book on order ASAP.