New Horror: House of Bone and Rain
Title: House of Bone and Rain (9780316427012)
Author: Gabino Iglesias
Publisher: Mullholland Books
Pub Date: August 6, 2024
Audiobook Narrators: Jean-Marc Berne, Daya Mendez
Steve’s Rating: 4.5 ⭐ out of 5 ⭐
The Devil Takes You Home, a self-described “barrio noir,” was unlike anything I’d read before. House of Bone and Rain is another barrio noir, and while it feels reminiscent of the vibe of The Devil…, it is surely its own story with its own characters, flow, and themes.
Summary: When Gabe and his friends swear revenge on those responsible for the drive-by murder of his friend Bimbo’s mother, they find themselves pulled into a level of street crime they’d never imagined entering before… and their shared trauma sends them on a criminal underworld adventure in pursuit of justice. The Old Gods, Guns, and Blood. These are the three core elements in their journey. This is a story about vengeance and what vengeance pays. That “all stories are ghost stories” is a sentiment Gabe says repeatedly in the book, and it’s worth considering while you read.
We get to know Gabe and his friends Xavier, Tavo, Paul, and Bimbo through their mutual commitments to one another and to their families. We ride alongside them making mistakes, trying to do the right thing for the right reason, and finding that violence is the only answer they can come up with in response to violence. At the same time, they’re haunted (literally and figuratively) by their past, and they’re always reacting at least in part to their own traumas, just as all people do.
House of Bone and Rain does a fantastic job of communicating the sense of trauma not just from acts of violence directly portrayed in the book but also of the more ephemeral impacts of colonialism and second-class citizenship that endures in post-colonial Puerto Rico. Another quote we might keep in mind while reading is Faulkner’s “The past is never dead; it’s not even past.”
I’m not usually one for supernatural elements. I say this knowing full well that some of my favorites in recent years have been The September House and The Militia House, stories with clearly spooky and fantastic elements. But truly, I don’t love ghost stories, don’t believe in gods, and am much more likely to award my highest reviews to stories with compelling psychological premises. But Gabino Iglesias’ second major book managed to pop into the overlapping zone of the venn diagram where “books with supernatural elements” and “steve’s favorite books of the year” circles overlap.
This one is worth your read, just as was Iglesias’ first. There’s no sophomore slump here. His first won the top Stoker Award, and I won’t be surprised to see this one nominated as well.
House of Bone and Rain is currently up for the Goodreads Choice awards in the Favorite Horror of 2024 category, and it’s worth a thought.
Author: Gabino Iglesias
Publisher: Mullholland Books
Pub Date: August 6, 2024
Audiobook Narrators: Jean-Marc Berne, Daya Mendez
Steve’s Rating: 4.5 ⭐ out of 5 ⭐
The Devil Takes You Home, a self-described “barrio noir,” was unlike anything I’d read before. House of Bone and Rain is another barrio noir, and while it feels reminiscent of the vibe of The Devil…, it is surely its own story with its own characters, flow, and themes.
Summary: When Gabe and his friends swear revenge on those responsible for the drive-by murder of his friend Bimbo’s mother, they find themselves pulled into a level of street crime they’d never imagined entering before… and their shared trauma sends them on a criminal underworld adventure in pursuit of justice. The Old Gods, Guns, and Blood. These are the three core elements in their journey. This is a story about vengeance and what vengeance pays. That “all stories are ghost stories” is a sentiment Gabe says repeatedly in the book, and it’s worth considering while you read.
We get to know Gabe and his friends Xavier, Tavo, Paul, and Bimbo through their mutual commitments to one another and to their families. We ride alongside them making mistakes, trying to do the right thing for the right reason, and finding that violence is the only answer they can come up with in response to violence. At the same time, they’re haunted (literally and figuratively) by their past, and they’re always reacting at least in part to their own traumas, just as all people do.
House of Bone and Rain does a fantastic job of communicating the sense of trauma not just from acts of violence directly portrayed in the book but also of the more ephemeral impacts of colonialism and second-class citizenship that endures in post-colonial Puerto Rico. Another quote we might keep in mind while reading is Faulkner’s “The past is never dead; it’s not even past.”
I’m not usually one for supernatural elements. I say this knowing full well that some of my favorites in recent years have been The September House and The Militia House, stories with clearly spooky and fantastic elements. But truly, I don’t love ghost stories, don’t believe in gods, and am much more likely to award my highest reviews to stories with compelling psychological premises. But Gabino Iglesias’ second major book managed to pop into the overlapping zone of the venn diagram where “books with supernatural elements” and “steve’s favorite books of the year” circles overlap.
This one is worth your read, just as was Iglesias’ first. There’s no sophomore slump here. His first won the top Stoker Award, and I won’t be surprised to see this one nominated as well.
House of Bone and Rain is currently up for the Goodreads Choice awards in the Favorite Horror of 2024 category, and it’s worth a thought.
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