I’m not even sure I know how to rate this 🥴

While I was intrigued by the opening chapters, I lost interest by the halfway mark. This was very much a western – a lot of violence, crime centric themes like revenge and cold blooded murder, it was difficult for me to enjoy. The book showcases colonialism and racial disparity, both important topics in relation to Mexico/US history but it’s overshadowed by this truly sad plot. At the end of the day, this is a story of an arrogant man that leaves his wife and kids to pursue the life of crime, getting people killed along the way, cursing his family for future generations. Adding a magical undertone unfortunately didn’t win me over, the whole thing was actually kind of confusing.

Maybe also the reason I’m hesitant picking more BOTMs, I still have Interesting Facts About Space which I might get to this month, we’ll see!

Title: The Bullet Swallower
Author: Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Genre: Western, Magical Realism
Rating: 2/5 ⭐️⭐️