Mixes elements of western novels and magical realism to deliver a wildly entertaining story that spans generations and crosses borders in a riveting family saga ... While great characterization and superb storytelling make this an enjoyable read, Gonzalez’s use of magical realism elements is what pushes this novel into must-read territory. The narrative reads like a western, but the magical elements enrich the story in unexpected ways.
This is fun, and James means it to be. But she also delivers these moments with heaps of irony. Romanticizing all this bloodshed and vengeance only perpetuates it, she means to say; in a just world, it should repel our admiration ... Remedio’s place in the story isn’t entirely persuasive ... Slyly ambitious, striving to pull off a trick nearly as tough as surviving a bullet to the head: to deliver old-fashioned, satisfying storytelling that critiques itself, insisting we move past those old fashions.
Combines a sturdy and enjoyable revenge thriller with a po-faced, and therefore hammy, story of a generations-spanning family curse ... At its best, James’s writing has dark, enveloping magnificence ... However, the novel suffers from a nasty bout of magical realism ... The Bullet Swallower has a grim, loping energy – yet up close, it’s just as misshapen.
A stunning new addition to a long tradition of Texas borderland narratives ... Lyrical ... A tour de force, offering readers a simultaneously white-knuckle and meditative journey through Mexico and Texas. It deftly weaves tropes from Westerns, gothic literature, corridos and magical realism alongside actual Texan and family history.
This is a Western full of classic tropes, but it also surprises with its philosophical examination of generational trauma, justice and retribution, and racism and politics. The supernatural element ties together the timelines and the themes, adding resonance. With a powerfully drawn setting and viscerally convincing characters, James’s novel is a strong addition to any general fiction collection.
Vivid ... Their blazing guns and rich, Butch and Sundance–esque banter make Jaime’s persistence in bringing their story to the big screen understandable. Readers will find this a refreshingly modern recasting of the classic western.
There’s not much overt discussion of race in this novel, but the impact of racism on Antonio’s life is impossible to miss, as is his family’s complicity in exploiting both the land and its Indigenous inhabitants. Mesmerizing and important.
