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Ernesto Vega has lived many lives, from pig farmer to construction worker to famed luchador El Rey Coyote, yet he has always worn a mask. He was discovered by a local lucha libre trainer at a time when luchadores—Mexican wrestlers donning flamboyant masks and capes—were treated as daredevils or rock stars. Ernesto found fame, rapidly gaining name recognition across Mexico, but at great expense, nearly costing him his marriage to his wife Elena.
Years later, in East Los Angeles, his son, Freddy Vega, is struggling to save his father's gym while Freddy's own son, Julian, is searching for professional and romantic fulfillment as a Mexican American gay man refusing to be defined by stereotypes.
With alternating perspectives, Ernesto and Elena take us from the ranches of Michoacán to the makeshift colonias of Mexico City. Freddy describes his life in the suburban streets of 1980s Los Angeles and the community their family built, as Julian descends deep into our present-day culture of hook-up apps, lucha burlesque shows, and the dark underbelly of West Hollywood. The Sons of El Rey is an "epic and transporting novel" (Alejandro Varela, National Book Award finalist and author of The Town of Babylon) of a family wading against time and legacy, yet always choosing the fight.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
June 11, 2024 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781797174594
- File size: 298431 KB
- Duration: 10:21:43
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from April 29, 2024
Espinoza (Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime) returns to fiction with the arresting story of an elderly wrestler’s last days. Ernesto Vega is visited while in hospice care by his son, Freddy; his gay grandson, Julian; the ghost of his wife, Elena; and a manifestation of his lucha libre persona, El Rey Coyote. Elena and El Rey Coyote press Ernesto to reexamine his life and his competing devotions to wrestling, his marriage, and his close childhood friend Julián Tamez. Meanwhile, Freddy, who once performed as El Rey Coyote Jr., agonizes over having to permanently shutter his father’s East Los Angeles gym, which never bounced back after the pandemic lockdowns, and Julian, an underpaid community college professor, chafes at being fetishized by other men for the color of his skin. The seamlessly interwoven story lines bring each character to vivid life, and Espinoza shines in the lucha libre scenes (“The crowd gasping, unmoving as they witnessed the flurry of leaps and jumps, the swirling colors and lights, these men doing such incredible things, things no mortal was ever expected to do”). This is a knockout. Agent: Eleanor Jackson, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. -
This riveting audiobook delves into the lives of three generations of luchadores, masked Mexican wrestlers, who are grappling with love and family secrets in Mexico City and Los Angeles. Narrators Gisela Chpe, Tony Chiroldes, Lee Osorio, and Andr Santana bring depth and authenticity to their characters. Chpe's portrayal of Elena resonates with strength and resilience, capturing the matriarch's unwavering determination. Chiroldes masterfully navigates Ernesto's journey, balancing his public persona as El Rey Coyote with his private struggles. Osorio skillfully embodies Freddy's inner conflict and quest for authenticity, while Santana brings Julian's emotional complexity to life, especially in his search for acceptance as a gay Mexican American. Their nuanced performances enrich Espinoza's poignant narrative, making this audiobook a captivating exploration of heritage, identity, and familial bonds. F.S.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from December 13, 2024
Family patriarch and former luchador Ernesto Vega is on his deathbed in an Los Angeles hospice, being paid visits by the ghost of his deceased wife, Elena; his son, Freddy; his grandson, Julian; and his own lucha libre persona, El Rey Coyote. Narrators Gisela Ch�pe, Tony Chiroldes, Lee Osorio, and Andr� Santana deliver Espinoza's (Cruising) vivid saga, examining the many facets of this complex family: Ernesto's relationship with proud, clear-eyed Elena (voiced by Ch�pe); Freddy's (Osorio) anguished struggle to cope with economic upheaval in the wake of COVID; and Julian (Santana), a gay professor at a community college whose unexpected revelation may help Freddy and Julian find resolution and healing. El Rey, perfectly captured by Chiroldes, is a jealous, self-absorbed trickster and is also the soul of the family. He scrutinizes each family member, laying bare their fraught struggles to contend with social and cultural conventions and the heartbreaking consequences of each individual's choices. VERDICT Examining three generations of Vega family lore, this audiobook cleverly juxtaposes four narrative voices through moments of Mexican political turmoil, COVID days in Los Angeles, and post-2020 upheaval to weave an unforgettable must-listen. Fans of Luis Alberto Urrea's The House of Broken Angels won't want to miss this.--Sharon Sherman
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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