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Book Summary and Reviews of The Family Izquierdo by Rubén Degollado

The Family Izquierdo by Rubén Degollado

The Family Izquierdo

A Novel

by Rubén Degollado

  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (26):
  • Published:
  • Sep 2022, 304 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

A masterful debut that weaves together the lives of three generations of a Mexican American family bound by love, and a curse.

The tight-knit Izquierdo family is grappling with misfortunes none of them can explain. Their beloved patriarch has suffered from an emotional collapse and is dying; eldest son Gonzalo's marriage is falling apart; daughter Dina, beleaguered by the fear that her nightmares are real, is a shut-in. When Gonzalo digs up a strange object in the backyard of the family home, the Izquierdos take it as proof that a jealous neighbor has cursed them―could this be the reason for all their troubles? As the Izquierdos face a distressing present and an uncertain future, they are sustained by the blood that binds them, a divine presence, and an abiding love for one another. Told in a series of soulful voices brimming with warmth and humor, The Family Izquierdo is a tender narrative of a family at a turning point.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Throughout, Degollado convincingly portrays the family's mix of faith, superstition, and intergenerational volatility, and immerses the reader into a porous blend of English and Spanish. This is a gem." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An instant Tejano classic." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Rubén Degollado has written an open-hearted work of witness, love, and triumph. We have come far. And this brave novel reminds us of where we have to go. Anyone with a family will find themselves in these pages." - Luis Alberto Urrea

"In The Family Izquierdo, every story is a revelation. Rubén Degollado's storytelling is as rigorous as it is intricate. Intimate and epic, it brims with magic and spirit. A bold, beautiful debut!" - Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

"With a delicate and perceptive understanding of humanity and the ties which bind community to history, Rubén Degollado has painted a portrait of sincere love in The Family Izquierdo. This book feels like coming home to a warm embrace, where the characters and land leap off the page and into our hearts." - Kali Fajardo-Anstine, author of Woman of Light

This information about The Family Izquierdo was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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More Information

Rubén Degollado is an educator from Texas and the author of The Family Izquierdo: A Novel and the young adult novel Throw. His fiction has appeared in Beloit Fiction JournalGulf CoastHayden's Ferry Review, and Image.

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