For childhood friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, Paul, and Bimbo, death has always been close. Hurricanes. Car accidents. Gang violence. Suicide. Estamos rodeados de fantasmas was Gabe’s grandmother’s refrain. We are surrounded by ghosts. But this time is different. Bimbo’s mom has been shot dead. We’re gonna kill the guys who killed her Bimbo swears. And they all agree.
Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names. Soon, they learn Maria was gunned down by guys working for the drug kingpin of Puerto Rico. No one has ever gone up against him and survived. As the boys strategize, a storm gathers far from the coast. Hurricanes are known to carry evil spirits in their currents and bring them ashore, spirits which impose their own order.
Back in 2023 I read Gabino Iglesias’ The Devil Takes You Home and said at the time it was one of my books of the year. Stunning, I think I called it.
And now we have House of Bone and Rain.
If you’ll permit me a short outburst? If you’re of a delicate nature, look away now.
Holy *fuck*. THIS BOOK. OMG.
Ahem.
Actually, if you’re of a delicate nature and that offends you, this book is not for you. Know only that you’re missing out on something incredible.
I thought (and still think) that The Devil Takes You Home is incredible, and chances are if you’ve spoken to me at any point over the past year and mentioned books even in passing, I’ll have got this kind of semi-crazed look in my eyes and said you HAVE to read this.
Brace yourselves, cos Iglesias has got a new one. He has a way with language and setting and you can just feel the thunderstorm rising and the shadows moving and what’s that in the corner OMG RUN RUN NOW RUN FAST.
It’s brutal and dark and heartbreaking and spiritual and tense and a whole load of other words that just end up with me, semi-crazed eyeball guy, going JUST READ THIS.
Add it to your list folks. Write it down in block capitals, in your best pen or pencil, and underline that title twice. Heck, make it three times.
I can’t recommend this highly enough.
House of Bone and Rain is published by Titan Books in the UK and is out in October 2024. Many thanks to the publisher for an advance copy of the book to review via Netgalley.
