This one is hardcore - so many descriptions of cruelty to humans and to dogs that I struggled to read it at this point in time. I will also say that in e-book format, it was very difficult to distinguish between the two timelines and additional research-heavy passages, so that may have hampered my enjoyment of the book. The description of life in the barrios was the part that I enjoyed most, although it did feel at times like there was too much gratuitous sex and nudity in it, perhaps in preparation for a film adaptation.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A tale of revenge and redemption from the screenwriter of Amores Perros

It is 1960s Mexico City. The parents of Juan Guillermo and his older brother Carlos have struggled and sacrificed to give their sons an education and the opportunities they didn’t have. But in their community the pressures of crime, gangs and corruption are hard to avoid. When Carlos is murdered, events spiral out of control and Juan Guillermo struggles with guilt, loss and the desire for revenge.

Juan Guillermo is a wonderful character, thoughtful and impulsive, struggling to be loved and defiant in the face of conformity. He has the normal adolescent preoccupations – sport, music, sex. He has a close group of friends who live a secret life on the rooftops of their apartment blocks, away from adults and authority. He is in awe of Carlos, who has rejected his parents’ ambitions and is making money dealing drugs.

He is also haunted by the circumstances of his birth – which led to the death of his twin - sensitive to slights and injustice, and constrained by the cruelty and chilling effect of both church and state, personified by a corrupt local police commander and the Good Boys, a group of religiously inspired teenage vigilantes. The death of Carlos pits him against all these forces, and means he has to confront uncomfortable truths about his adored older brother.

The Untameable has so many wonderful elements. It’s atmospheric and beautifully written. The characters are nuanced and interesting. It’s also about 200 pages too long.

This is particularly true in the middle section of the book. Juan Guillermo’s narration weaves between two main timelines, digressions, reminiscences and asides, and vignettes featuring various secondary characters.

That’s before the introduction of the second strand to the story, which begins with Amaruq, a young Inuit man trailing a wolf across the tundra in Canada. I enjoyed this very different story, and the way the two eventually intersect, but at times it almost got lost in the noise.

The Untameable circles themes of revenge and redemption, trauma and healing, oppression and liberation. While it deals in violence and brutality, it doesn’t celebrate them. The end felt, perhaps, a little too neatly uplifting, given all that had gone before, but still, it’s a complex and original literary thriller.
*
I received a copy of The Untameable from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book is an experience and very different in style, texture and feel of anything I've read for years at least. Maybe this is because of his screenwriter and cultural differences, but at times some things jarred to me for no other reason than I didn't think that's how a novel should be - so the problem is probably with me!

Saying that this novel is good, very good in fact; the characterisation is excellent and I was invested from the first chapter. The settings are superbly visual, which is what you would expect really, and you can almost smell the air walking through Mexico City.

The main character Juan, suffers the tragedy of his families deaths early on and the one that seems to affect him the most is that of his brother Carlos, for whom he must seek justice/vengeance. You follow his story through a series of other, smaller stories.

The other main character is Amaruq, part Inuit, part Scot, hunting a wolf in a Canadian winter. They later connect in the most fascinating way!

This is a fascinating, visceral and satisfying book in many ways. I feel that I learnt so much about Mexico and Canada, embracing and diving into those cultures as well as the psyches of the main characters.

If you want to immerse yourself in a different world make sure to dive into this book!

It’s always a joy to read a book that is creatively different, full of surprises and unique stories. In this gem, a 17 year old lad living in Mexico City is struggling with the deaths around him; his twin was born dead, his brother is murdered, his parents died in a car accident, his grandmother pined away and the family pets are dying. Meanwhile a parallel story is running of an Innuit hunter putting his life on the line to hunt a wolf in the wilds of the Yukon. Drugs, religion and corruption in Mexico meets nature, freedom and isolation in the Yukon. A strange mix that works with the themes of revenge, the power of having good friends and refusing to live by the rules.

Despite feeling that the central character had an interesting tale to tell and felt quite invested in him from the outset, I couldn't actually continue reading last the first couple of hundred pages due to the extremely graphic animal cruelty. This was not only tied to the Yukon storyline but also to the Mexican one, and personally I found it increasingly disturbing and gratuitous. Such a shame as I was genuinely excited to read this due to the quality of Arriaga's screenwriting, and as I've said it did promise something special in terms of the characterisation and structure. Did not finish.

A novel of two sides. One set in Mexico is raw and noisy, angry and violent. The other is in the Yukon and has a slower pace, a need to explore and an animalistic sense of style. Put these in the hands of a top Spanish film writer and you have gold. The novel is overly long however and the descriptions of the flashbacks could have been a lot shorter but still have given a huge punch to the overall story. More infact.

I'd like to read this again with all the excess padding taken out as, staying with that gold analogy, then it would really be shiny.

This is storytelling on an epic scale. This is a magnificent, deeply moving novel that is entirely absorbing and takes the reader on a fabulous journey. The writing and the imagery are stunning. As I read it I was reminded of the very first time I had read John Steinbeck's classic The Grapes of Wrath. Such pleasure is rare.
Spanning continents and climates, the author has painted a vast canvas. There is much in this novel for us all to learn from. It is an emotional rollercoaster jam-packed with incident and historic moments.
A magnificent achievement.