The Devil Takes You Home

I thought I would like this book especially with that opening premise but this just started to feel very... gore galore. Iglesias critiques religious fanaticism, especially how radical believers push aside their human morality for the sake of a “miracle” from God. The very rotten core of the humans in this book is their selfishness, driven by a perverse desire to serve their own needs and pleasure, whether that be exacting revenge against an enemy, killing for monetary gain, or to fulfill some sort of ridiculous religious belief. Iglesias does well in portraying how dark and twisted a human's soul can become, as well as the conflict between individual choice and systemic (racial and economic) structures.

However, I was not the biggest fan of the supernatural elements in this book. The supernatural monsters and gorey violence overshadowed the “raw” actions and feelings - devastation, instability, loss, hopelessness, despair, and anger - found in human nature. There was no real reason why the supernatural elements even existed beyond pure shock value. It felt like Iglesias kept asking himself, “How can I make the protagonist face an EVEN MORE horrific, sadistic, and repulsive situation, but without explaining how this world works?” There is so much shrouded in secrecy and the characters often ask for explanations for what is going on, but they never get direct answers. They are instead met with hostile and vague responses, such as “Shut up or I'll make (read: kill) you (slowly and painfully)”. It's not a a very productive way of storytelling and instead felt like an excuse to write about gun fights and graphic mutilation.

I've seen this compared to S.A. Cosby's Razorblade Tears and while there are may overlaps in terms of genre and theme, it wasn't nearly as good. The protagonist is mostly passive. The pacing is often slow. The incorporation of horror elements - drawn from the milieu of the Mexican drug world - was interesting, but otherwise this was okay but not particularly special.

I’ve been eying this one since I got in as a BoTM pick, but got so busy that I only just now got to it when I saw it on sale from Audible. I’m glad I did. Gabino does a lot of work to get a light shined on indie works, so I’m glad to read his work finally.

Dark, dangerous, and absolutely beautiful; this novel is a deep dive into loss, grief, the lengths any one human can go, and striving to accept what’s happened.

In a scene all too familiar, when Mario’s daughter gets sick, the bills start stacking high, and his employer doesn’t want to continue giving him time off. In desperate need for cash, and willing to do anything for his family, Mario is forced to a life of crime in an attempt to make ends meet. After a few successful jobs, Mario is invited to one with a much bigger score. One final job. The path that follows is nothing short of spectacular—supernatural, horrific, nightmarish, and filled with turns.

The author’s writing is poetic in prose, while to the point, and packs a punch without giving way to too emotional a story. He tackles race and racism in the south, even showcasing what being an ally means through an integral character. It’s one of those reads where you’re like, “oh, that’s not what the book is about, but that’s what the book is about.” Shining a light onto something we don’t all get to experience.

The major themes of family and regret are prevalent, while the nightmares of our world collide with those of something other. At no point did I know what would happen next, and honestly I didn’t know if I wanted it to end, or continue on damaging me forever.

“You can wrap a shotgun in flowers, but that doesn’t make the blast less lethal.”

This was straaaaange and so dark. Like a movie you really want to rage quit early on and then you don't and when the end credits roll you're like “the f did I just watch” and somehow you still end up giving it a bunch of stars because you keep thinking about it and you don't know if you love it or hate it.

We're following Mario on a downhill spiral in his life, and at every corner, it gets worse. So much worse.

I wasn't a huge fan of The Devil Takes You Home.  It's not a Thriller, and it's not Horror.  It's a really slow moving journey of a man who dips into his darker side and ends up liking it...a lot.

At first, the story takes off and I was invested.  Mario was a torn man, father and husband. How was he to provide for his daughter? The hospital bills and cost of treatment she needed was astounding. He needed cash and he needed it fast. So he figured it was time to contact his friend .. who may have a way for him to make some quick money.

Then it just went off the rails for me. I don't want to say too much for those that want to read this one but essentially it became less about family and more about evil and violence. I was not expecting that total 360 and kept waiting for it to tie together somehow. 

This is also said to be horror but..I didn't see it. There are some supernatural elements but they didn't really fit the overall story. At least to me, it didn't make much sense to even have them in there. This would have been better marketed as a dark noir crime drama, or something to that affect. The graphic scenes of violence, use of drugs and journey into “madness” completely fit that genre.

Maybe I just wasn't in the right head space for this one as I was expecting something completely different. If you have this one on your list, pick it up and give it a read. Chances are you will love it as so many others have. This one just didn't fully work for me.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and Novel Suspects for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.