This book is a Western-style study of evil, of multi-generational trauma and redemption, and of whether or not we can change our fate due to who our parents or grandparents were — and it’s a fun ride with a memorable cast of characters to boot. Not to mention the action-packed chase scenes and firefights between the fugitive main characters and the vicious Texas Rangers. This book was such a joy to read, and I loved sinking back into its atmosphere, its people.

The pacing and flow was perfectly done. The story editing here was top notch. Then there’s the sharp, insightful prose and dialogue with just the right amount of narrative self-awareness and social commentary. The subversion of the hero’s journey was cleverly executed, and made me laugh out loud at times. The dialogue especially felt very authentic, and I could clearly hear each character’s voice in my head.

The Sonoros family has blood ties to the first brother-killer, Cain of the Christian mythos. Many of them have led typically morally corrupt lives, and “have always had a talent for profit through wickedness” (p. 227). This story is one of why Remedio, an invisible shadow character who vaguely represents the grim reaper and occasionally makes himself known, follows Antonio Sonoros, living in the 1890s, and his grandson, Jamie Sonoros in 1964. It’s about what conclusion he comes to about humanity and fate after not damning Antonio straight to Hell as soon as he was born, as he was supposed to.

For it is Antonio who is destined to become the infamous Bullet Swallower. Remedio shadows him as he leads a life both of crime and of compassion, helps people, and kills them, and as he goes on a revenge quest after a group of Texas Rangers kill his brother.

Antonio acts “as though he were aware of the precariousness of his own existence, that he wished to perform some balancing of accounts within himself, committing murder and then saving a family from starvation on the same day, net equal” (75). He instinctively feels the need to balance the harm he does with care. He can be tender to people who need it — even if doing so gets him in trouble. But the point is that he does try to consciously balance his own perceived moral debts, and make up for crimes he’s committed.

Which is what most people with a shred of humanity left do, even the “evil” Texas Rangers. This book really shows you that inside everyone is a tender heart. Every character here gets a chance to finally reveal it.

Finally, the book portrays pretty well some situational answers to questions of fate, redemption arcs, healing from the transfer of trauma across the generations, and existential judgement in the face of this wild, wild world.

First of all I loved the location and time frame of this book. It sweeps us away to Mexico and Southern Texas. It had this gritty feel emanating the heat, barrenness, and wild wilderness of the southern land. It read like a Western, which is not a genre that I normally read and it was actually quite refreshing!

Second. Read the authors note. She alludes to the idea that much of her storytelling is inspired by her great-grandfather who was a bandido in the 1800's and the stories she tells in her book are rumors from his life. Let that talk you into reading this book itself!

The story is all about a bandido with a sidekick, on the run who is involved in numerous crimes. But then add in some magical realism and things don't always pan out the way you think they should.

The second POV is an actor/singer in the mid 1900's who is mysteriously given a book that tells of his families history.

I think this is best book read. It required extra attention with a lot of movement going on. There are moments of grit with self inflicted harm. There are points of anti-white/American written in what appears as jest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advance e-copy of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this phenomenal book.

Magical realism at its finest. The author takes family history and turns it into folklore.

Antonio Sonoro (based off the author's great-grandfather) lives la vida de bandido - thieving, murdering, whoring, while his ever suffering wife, Jesusa, stays at home and raises their children, Nicolás and Aura, takes care of the homestead. He hails from money - bandits like to collect money above all else. But his family has fallen from grace, and he and his family don't live in the large white house that he grew up in, living instead in a jacal.

Before murdering a man, he tells Antonio that there is a train heading to Houston, Texas, with wealth enough to restore his family to their former glory. In the hopes of coming back to Jesusa and his children a man to be proud of, he begins his journey alone. But his brother from a different mother (and not in the way you're thinking) Hugo forces his way into the adventure, hoping to turn Antonio from his path before it is too late.

Unfortunately, when they find the train, they are spotted, and a chase begins with the Texas Rangers riding after them. Hugo is killed by the rangers, who believe that they have also killed Antonio. But the shadow that refused to take him at his birth, allowing him the chance to redeem himself instead of paying the debt owed by his ancestors, graces him with more days, albeit transformed into a monster, into El Tragabalas - The Bullet Swallower.

Vowing to avenge the death of his brother and a fire lit by regrets of how he treated him, El Tragabalas turns the chase around on the Texas Rangers, and they chase each other all over Texas. During one particular gunfight, Antonio finds Peter - an English gentleman abandoned by his wealthy family. Frustrated that this dreamer follows him thinking himself an adventurer, Antonio tries many times to lose him. But Peter is a dead shot and Antonio finds that Peter has a way of worming himself into his heart, almost like Hugo.

A century later, Jaime is a comedian, a musician, an actor, and he wants to be a writer. When a strange woman knocks on his door and gives him the history of his family, he is intrigued, for his father, Juan Antonio, has never spoken about his family other than to tell people he doesn't speak about his family. The book, the woman believed, holds a curse that killed the author with the sins of the past. When he tells his father that he plans to turn the book into a movie, his father tells him that if he does, he will never speak to him again. But when Jaime tries to get rid of the book, he finds that it keeps ending up back on his desk. So he writes the screenplay. Eventually, his father tells him the reason for so much secrecy about their family, and the reason he does not want Jaime to make the movie and draw attention to them. But the shadow has known about them all along, and has even been in their house, held Jaime’s son.

Can Jaime escape the sins of his ancestors? Is it even a possibility?

Extremely well-written. I absolutely adored this book. I found myself thinking about the book even when I wasn’t reading it, and getting so immersed in the story that it felt like someone was reading it to me, I was watching it on screen, and I was living it out with the characters, all at the same time. Such an incredible view not only of a real life, but a real life made into magical realism, into folklore, into something that will stick with me for a long time.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙎𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧
by Elizabeth Gonzalez James
272 pages
January 23, 2024

Thank you @netgalley and @simonbooks for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review.

This is told from a dual POV. We meet Antonio Sonoro in 1895. He is a descendant of the ruthless Sonoro family who enslaved people for profit to squeeze the last dregs of gold from the dirt of Dorado. Alternately, we meet his grandson Jaime Sonoro, a Mexican American film actor famous for his cowboy roles in Westerns. Jaime comes to posess the history of his notorious family in the form of a mysterious book. As he reads, we follow the adventure of Antonio as he leaves his family to pursue treasure and vengeance.
The alternating POV also allows us to see the layer of supernatural magical realism threaded throughout their stories.
Will Antonio succeed? Will Jaime discover the truth about their family? And who or what has mysteriously followed the Sonoro family?

If you enjoy Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Westerns with a touch of mysterious magic and want to try something different, read this novel.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5/5 stars

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The Bullet Swallower is one of those books that I pick up, and am truly blown away by the prose. E.G. James has a rare command of the language, with every sentence and every paragraph a masterful stroke in a wild, imaginative plot. I'm not into Westerns, but this book yanked me deep into its pages. Dual timelines are hard to wrangle, but you'd never know it in this novel. It's no wonder that I keep seeing this book pop up on the "most anticipated" lists for 2024. It has easily earned its place. I hope this book lands a movie...it would be so meta, in the very best way.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley, for the early read on this book!

Another book from NetGalley that I was into from page one. This is a story about revenge yet with so much heart and care for the characters it transcends the revenge and is a character study of a family, a man, a son and the choices we make and their repercussions. I loved this book and highly recommend it. Get it and love it too.

For more reviews and bookish posts visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzales James is a historical fiction western, with some magical realism thrown in. Ms. James is an American author of Mexican origin; this is her second novel.

1865: Brothers Antonio and Hugo Sonoro leaves his home in a Mexican village, crossing the Rio Grande into Texas to rob a train full of treasure. The Texas Rangers are onto the two brothers, and in the mayhem that ensues Hugo dies and Antonio survives with a bullet to the faces. Now known as El Tragabalas, the Bullet Swallower, Antonio goes on a quest to avenge his dead brother.

1964: In Mexico City Jaime Sonoro, a successful entertainer, is writing a script about his famous grandfather. During his research, Jaime is given a book detailing his family’s dark history which shakes him to the bone.

I was surprised that I liked The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzales James as much as I did. The novel grabbed me right from the first page and kept me engaged throughout. Ms. James covers a lot of ground in a short space.

Many of the themes in the book appear in many western novels, movies, or TV shows like justice, racism, and revenge. The novel, however, also examines generational trauma, as well a somewhat philosophical discussion about sins of the father passing onto a future generation.

I enjoyed the powerful settings, as well as Antonio’s relationship with Peter Ainsley, an Englishman. Their wise-cracking banter was a lot of fun to read in between the action scenes. I also enjoyed the magical realism, in the form of an angel/devil named Remedios who is looking for payment for generations of evil actions.

The narrative was well written, the characters were defined, and the journey for Antionio, Jaime, and me was well worth it. The mash up of a Mexican western, a generational saga, and magical realism works extremely well at the hands of this talented author.

The author said that many parts of the story are true, and that her relative was known as El Tragabalas with many legends attached. I love the fact that she researched her roots and wrote a wonderful remaining of the family’s history.

A man bent on revenge endangers his family, future descendants, and his eternal soul. The descriptions of Antonio's injuries were repetitive and gruesome

1895. Dorado, Mexico. Antonio Sonoro is the latest in a long line of ruthless men as the once-wealthy Sonoro empire crumbles. Antonio plans a heist with his younger brother, hoping to get lucky. But the heist goes awry, and he launches into a warpath of revenge.

1964. Mexico. Renowned actor/singer Jaime Sonoro discovers a book that tells the entire history of the Sonoro family. But what will Jaime do when a mysterious figure shows up, threatening to upend his comfortable life?

BULLET SWALLOWER is unlike everything I've read before. It combines a family saga with dramatic western cowboy-style scenes, action-packed gun fights, and a pinch of magical realism, perfect for readers averse to the fantasy genre but looking for a bit of oomph.

Consisting of shifting narratives that differ significantly in style—Antonio's POV reads like a thriller/adventure, while Jaime's POV takes on a more muted lit fic/suspense vibe. There's also a third POV that gave me a lot of pause in the beginning because I wasn't sure where the story was going. But it wasn't until the 50% mark that each piece in BULLET SWALLOWER clicked in place for me.

This is the type of story where you'll have to trust the process and just enjoy the ride. I ended up loving the message about our generational "curse," and I appreciate James' examination of one's complicity when our family history isn't always a clear black and white. The author's notes also add another layer of nuance and uniqueness to BULLET SWALLOWER, and I loved reading about James' creative process in writing such a fascinating character.

I'll leave you with this quote that encompasses the spirit of BULLET SWALLOWER, "The past is not so far away as you might think. Nor the future, for that matter. No man lives free from history." Wow.

For fans of antihero stories, Wild West cowboy vibes, or unique perspectives on generational debts, give BULLET SWALLOWER a try!

The Sonoros, we learn early in Elizabeth Gonzalez James’s violent meditation on the sins of the father The Bullet Swallower, have a long track record of rapaciousness, cruelty, and remorselessness. The opening section shows us how one member of the family killed scores in an effort to snatch every last bit of gold from the Sonoro family’s mine on the US-Mexico border in the mid-1800s. Unlike a lot of aristocratic monsters, however, the members of the family suffer disaster and poverty as often as they enjoy wealth and privilege. This split time narrative shows us how two scions of the Sonoro family face the long overdue repercussions of their fathers’ sins.

In 1895, Antonio Sonoro lives a life of a latter-day Robin Hood—much to the frustration of his wife who is left to scratch a living at the drought-striken family farm. Antonio hatches a scheme that could restore the family fortunes after he hears a rumor of a train heading into Texas laden with Mexican treasures and luxury goods. Even if he can only get away with what he can carry, Antonio will be a wealthy man. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Antonio is a terrible planner. The theft goes wrong almost immediately and Antonio and his adopted brother find themselves pursued by a murder-minded posse of Texas Rangers. What follows is the stuff of Western legends.

Roughly seventy years later, Jaime Sonoro lives a busy life as a successful singer and actor. He knows next to nothing about his family’s ignoble past; his father refused to tell him much of anything. Jaime’s movies have bought his family a mansion in Mexico City, raising them up from the poverty Jaime’s father knew as a child. The only flies in the ointment arrive in the form of a book purporting to document the vicious history of the Sonoro family and the appearance of a sinister (possibly immortal) stranger named Remedio. A quick Google Translation tells me that Remedio can mean remedy in the sense of redress or compensation. Remedio himself (itself?) tells us that he is here to claim on the Sonoro family’s moral debt.

Antonio Sonoro—who comes to be known as El Tragabalas, the Bullet Swallower, after a near-fatal gunshot to the face—absolutely runs away with this book. I was curious about why there was so much ink about Jaime until Remedio’s plot becomes clear. The scales tipped by Antonio and his ancestors must be balanced; someone has to pay for all those centuries of crimes. The tension in the plot builds as Jaime searches to find out what might have happened to Antonio. Did Antonio ever atone for his misdeeds? Or are Jaime and his children going to have to foot the impossible bill?

When we talk about complicated family histories, we’re usually talking about mental illness, abuse, or similar generational trauma. The Bullet Swallower is unique in my experience for looking at how individuals might have to wrestle with a history of ancestors who committed unpunished crimes against others. Looking at Antonio Sonoro and his predecessors, one might wonder if one’s own family tree contains murderers, slavers, and others whose actions might have been excusable at the time but that also tarnish the family’s reputation. This book also raises the question of whether or not it’s fair to expect the children of these parents to offer some kind of reparations for past crimes. I would’ve liked to see The Bullet Swallower wrestle a bit more with this latter question but, as it is, what this book does include lingers. I’ll be mulling this book for a while.

First and foremost, thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for allowing me to read and review this ARC. Thank y’all!

I just have to say that this novel took my breath away. Where fantasy meets the Wild West, we are plunged into two timelines where bad luck and misfortune seem to lurk into a family over generations.

Lust, greed, and death seem to follow Antonio and when he is to pay for his ancestor’s sins; we are thrown into the timeline of his grandson.

Such an amazing story about redemption and breaking the generational curse.

I'm probably the wrong reader on this one since it has overall high ratings. I am that weirdo though that if a story is supposed to have a really bad guy I want him really bad. This guy was kinda well I did this but I feel sorry for doing it.
Plus you read forevvvver before something happens. Then when it does happen I was like that is it???

Good grief.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

The Bullet Swallower is a genre-bending adventure through Mexico and Texas, driven by revenge, strewn with hints of magical realism, and chock-full of good old Western battles, chases, and characters. It’s also a subtle commentary on intergenerational trauma and the long-lasting consequences of racism and tribalism, and explores the bonds, hurts, disappointments, and redemptions of family.

So, in short, about everything you could ask for in a book.

I loved some of the contradictions and complexities in our leading man, and the overall moral dilemmas and introspection involved — I feel like you don’t often get a whole lot of that in “traditional” westerns, so this felt like a unique take. It’s a dual POV, and I did fall victim to the classic trap of liking one of the timelines (the 1890s western) much more than the other (the 1960s). That said, I am notorious for feeling like “flash forward” second POVs could just be an epilogue instead, so just take that feeling with a grain of salt if you don’t typically feel the same way 😂

I really enjoyed this read and would recommend it to a pretty broad cross-section of readers. I don’t think you have to be a huge fan of either westerns or magical realism in order to enjoy it - just have to be open to those elements. I will say, though, that there’s a fair amount of violence and some gore, so just be aware if that’s something that makes you uncomfortable!

Elizabeth Gonzalez James transported me out West and back in time with The Bullet Swallower. The settings in Mexico and Texas were vividly depicted and I felt like I was along for the adventure, particularly with Antonio's storyline. I love that Gonzalez James used her grandfather's real life to inspire the story of Antonio Sonoro, a character who is many things: legend, villain and hero. It's an epic, but violent tale. I loved the touch of magical realism.

Antonio Sonoro is a superb character that Gonzalez James truly brought to life. I can see him so clearly in my mind. I think he was well developed with a terrific arc. The scenes with Antonio and Peter were pure magic.

In the end, this was a 3.5 star read for me. There was some truly beautiful writing and evocative scenes. But there were also stretches of passages that didn't completely hold my interest, I could've done without Jaime's point of view in its entirety. And I would've loved more magical realism, more Remedio.

I definitely will recommend this book for fans of historical fiction, Westerns and magical realism. It is truly a unique tale!

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Western, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mexican Fantasy
Format: Multiple POV, 3rd person, Two time periods
Language: Crude moments and some swearing
Spice Level: Fade to black and crude references
Representation: Characters are primarily of Mexican and European descent
Themes: Revenge, Loss, Karma, Home, Redemption

The Bullet Swallower is not my normal fare, but I like to try new things. I love multiple POV and time periods along with family sagas.

Wow! The opening is stunning! The descriptions are so fresh and visceral. The entire novel is gritty. And the author gives us a peek into her inspiration and family stories in the author notes. I'm always interested to see where a novel and real life intersect.

Even though it was well-written, I just didn't love it as much as I wanted to. I'm not even sure why. Perhaps, it was because I didn't like or empathize with Antonio. He gave to others at times, but he was also a bandit and murderer. And he's bent on justice for the loss of his brother. All his wife wanted was for him to stay home and be a father and husband. I honestly related to her more.

So, since I don't necessarily feel like we're supposed to like Antonio, he is interesting and complex. I guess you could say an anti-hero. With this in mind, what did I get out of the book? Love and live for your family. Don't chase after shadows that won't bring happiness.

This is a novel to make you think. I hope you enjoy it.

Happy reading!

3 stars.

Much of the actual prose of this book is beautiful, but the contents of the actual story were not as well thought out as I’d hoped, particularly in the portion set in 1964 and the elements surrounding the book about the Sonoros’ history. The story reminded me of a slightly more compelling version of the Alchemist. That’s a condemnation coming from me, but that book is well regarded by a lot of people and I’d highly recommend this one to anyone who even slightly enjoyed it. It has that sense of bland and vaguely Christian moral grandiosity, but The Bullet Swallower was grittier and more expansive, and clearly rooted in thorough research and personal investment, unlike The Alchemist. I didn’t really love this book, but I think a lot of people will, and I’ll be recommending it to quite a few come January 23rd.

I am so thankful to Simon and Schuster Audio, Simon and Schuster, Netgalley, and Elizabeth Gonzalez James for granting me advanced audio, physical and digital access to this fun historical fiction before its pub date of January 23, 2024.

This was such an epic read! I loved the reimagining of the western, a genre I've always loved within movies but never encountered within books. The approach of a curse following generations was incredibly unique and done very well.

Set on the Mexico and Texas border, you have a western landscape filled with untamed wilderness, train stowaways, and saloon shootouts in one epic, fantastic tale.
Antonio is a hard man to love. He is arrogant and desirous of everything other than his wife and children. Then you turn to his grandson Jaime in the present day, who has been giving a book about his family history. At the same time, a mysterious man comes into their life. Jaime reads the story of his grandfather, who, through it all, has given him the chance of a lifetime to rewrite history or change history.
The Bullet Swallower is thrilling and rageful, pulling from the past to the present day, showing how a family lineage can be cursed and how one can heal it

Elizabeth Gonzalez James remakes the Western. This is subversive storytelling. I love the time travel within it, the unraveling of "a cosmic debt, generations in the making." I'm in the midst of reading...ooof! Epic. <3