“The Sons of El Rey” by Alex Espinoza is a captivating multi-generational saga that spans Mexico City in the 1960s to contemporary Los Angeles. It delves into the lives of a family of Luchadores, exploring forbidden love and hidden family secrets. Espinoza’s vivid storytelling weaves together different eras and locations, creating an intimate portrait of resilience and sacrifice.

A generational story of Ernesto, Freddy, and Julian Vega set in Mexico and Los Angeles, The Sons of El Rey is about immigration, lucha libres, and being a gay Mexican American man. Through alternating perspectives, Espinoza describes the complexity of father-son-grandfather relationships.

The Sons of El Rey is about a whole lot of things that I don't have much experience with - Mexican American culture, being a gay man, life in LA, and lucha libre. The honesty and rawness of all three generations of Vega men held my interest. The three stories sometimes felt very separate; I would have liked a little more about the relationships between the men. I especially appreciated seeing the intersection between gay life and lucha libre, including lucha burlesque (I had no idea that's a thing!).

This novel has just a little bit of everything - a three-generation family saga, insight into the Mexican culture and experience, badass lucha libre action, an LGBT storyline, and even a touch of pandemic ennui. I really enjoyed getting to know El Rey Coyote, El Rey Coyote Jr., their everyday counterparts, and Julian, and learning what the luchador culture meant to them. It was something that kept this family going as they experienced all the heartache, misery, and drama associated with trying to make a better life in Mexico and then in Southern California.

I usually race through books, but this read took me almost a month. I think this is because I subconsciously wanted to savor every storyline and detail. The writing was excellent, and I liked how the stories alternated between Ernesto, Freddy, and Julian. It occasionally interspersed Ernesto's luchador personality El Rey Coyote and Ernesto's wife and lover's stories as well. We got to experience Mexico in the 1950's and South Cal in 2020, so the tone was varied. This all made for shorter, more digestible chapters and overall, a more well-rounded story.

Lucha libre is fascinating. I learned a lot, including that most fighters aren't known by their actual names (they are anonymous) - but occasionally a fight takes place where the loser is unmasked and the mask is given to the winner. Sometimes the loser shaves their head! I was back and forth between this book and the Wikipedia page for lucha libre the whole time.

Thank you, Alex Espinoza, for insight into this interesting family and an incredible sport. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was very interesting about mexican society. It starts out with Man named Esther. Who lived in a small village raising pigs. His?
Wife Whose name was ELE?N?A. You had a very good friend named julian , who had to leave the village because of tragic situation. He came back and he was talking about wrestling.And he said you could make really good money if you move to mexico city. They were very close together and his wife was very jealous of the situation. So eventually they move to america where they have to struggle. The son , freddy ran the gym because his father was dying. His grandson named julian was gay With other men for money. Kept a secret from his family. About his Life.. This book has very interesting threads and tides together. And it all comes out in the end. Freddy's father was Into that lifestyle in Mexico city as a wrestl. This is really.
Important part of the book and you will find out how it all gets tied togetherer

Spanning decades and generations, The Sons of El Rey by Alex Espinoza captures the saga of the Vega family: patriarch Ernesto, his strong wife Elena, son Alfredo "Freddy" and grandson Julian.

Going back and forth in time, we get each character's point of view, from Ernesto's and Elena's young marriage and move from the countryside to Mexico City in the 60s, to Freddy's growing up in East LA in the 80s and finally Julian's navigation through college as a writing instructor while exploring the seedier side of LA and assorted dating apps.

So, a big sprawling drama full of character development and history and secrets... told against the backdrop of the family's vocation as LUCHADORES! Well, you already know that from the cover ha ha but I'd argue that it's a ruse. At its heart, this is a big messy family story. Politics in Mexico in the 60s, immigration, gender expectations and roles, being homosexual in a culture with little tolerance for it... you get all that and then some. Sure, we talk about the costumes and the famous luchadores like El Santo, the Exoticos (check out Gael Garcia Bernal in 2023's Cassandro if you want to learn more), and of course the masks. And being luchador defines the Vega family.

We're all hiding behind masks, luchador or not.

I enjoyed this one a lot, strong writing, evocative, heartfelt.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital ARC.

I’m so glad I read this because not only did it deliver the wrestling vibes I was hoping for but there’s also a deep and thought-provoking story about masking your own identity and the damage it can cause to your loved ones.

Told through multiple POVs this is an inter-generational story about a Mexican-American family of Luchadors. You hear from Ernesto and his Luchador persona “El Rey Coyote”, his wife Elena, their son Alfredo and their grandson Julian. You can see how Ernesto’s tragedies have affected his family and how they each struggle with their own battle. Racism, Covid-19, economic hardship, and being queer and afraid of love are some of the themes explored in this novel. I loved each character especially Elena and Ernesto but I especially loved the chapters of the wrestling matches themselves. If you’re a fan of Luchadors you may enjoy how it goes over Lucha Libre history and goes into full detail in describing costuming, the atmosphere of the arena, feuds between the Tecnicos (face) and Rudo’s (Heel) and goes on to describe full on matches! We’re talking fly kicks, choke holds, suplexes, suicide bombs and more!

While I feel some characters decisions didn’t match up to their values and the reveal at the end was predictable, I still enjoyed this book. I’d recommend it to those looking for LGBTQ+ Fiction about family secrets, forbidden love and how regret can haunt your every thought.

4..75 stars rounded up.

One of my favorite books of the year! Espinoza's multi-generational story tracking a family of luchadores from Mexico to Los Angeles is beautiful and complex. A must read!

I know that this was well written and is overall a good book. It just wasn’t for me. I was bored with the plot. Guessed the twists. But I did learn a lot about Luchadores, which was cool! If you liked the movie Iron Claw but wish it was less white and more gay, read this book! This is also great for anyone who loved a multi-generational story. Definitely heartwarming and emotional. I recommend!

The Sons of El Rey is a powerful story about legacy and family. It is also a love letter to lucha libre without it being about lucha libre. It is a multi-generation family saga, and each chapter is from the perspective of a different family member and in a different generation. As a result, the story is not linear, but it allows us to see the continuity and changes in the life and options of queer Mexican and Mexican-American men. The chapters from Julian's perspective were the ones with the largest impact on me. The portrayal of an adjunct trying to make ends meet was so real that I had to take a break to manage the emotions it brought to the surface for me. Julian's dad, Freddy, was probably the least interesting part of the story, and I really wish that Elena's side of the story had been a bit. more fleshed out. It is clear that Espinoza was trying to depict a strong but flawed woman, and I think that characterization needed more work. However, his depiction of Julian and Ernesto felt so real and powerful. They were the heart of the book and made it a great reading experience for me.

A story about a family of luchadores across the years. I was intrigued by this one because I love luchador wrestling, but it was a lot more of a sweeping family epic than it was about the wrestling.

A great book. Three generations of men in a luchador legacy in the making, it was heartbreaking and beautiful told through multiple character POVs.

A beautiful, subtle story of how the past repeats itself in surprising ways and how traumas can take generations to heal. Elena was my favorite character, While she got the least print, I loved her because she was so clear in who she was and what she was prepared to do. The story is told without sentimentality yet manages to be very sentimental. Loved it.

Thank you so much to @simonbooks for sending me a copy of THE SONS OF EL REY by Alex Espinoza (June 11, 2024).

Ernesto Vega shot to fame as a luche libre after leaving his family’s rural farm for Mexico City. He courted success more than his lover, Julián, or wife, Elena. Once he family immigrated to the United States, he started a gym where he mentored a new generation of wrestlers and stoked nostalgia by serving as a mascot in the guise of El Rey.

Now, unconscious and in hospice, he is visited by apparitions of El Rey Coyote and his late wife, Maria, as well as his living relatives, including his son Freddy, riddled by guilt because his father’s gym has been in economic decline since Covid and is on the verge of closing, and his gay grandson, Julian, a writer and adjunct English professor who can only pay his bills through acting as as an escort to men who fetishize his brown skin.

Fundamentally, THE SONS OF EL REY is a fascinating family story that hinges on luche libre, a genre of wrestling in which the wrestler has a full face mask and never reveals his or her identity. As Ernesto legitimately hides his everyday self in the ring under El Rey, he also hides his sexuality. While Ernesto and Maria move to the US to provide a better life for their children, Freddy’s career parallel’s that of his father’s, and while Julian attempts to live a life of the mind, he falls back on bodily labor as well.

Multiple narrators shape the story, from the earliest days of Ernesto and Maria’s marriage to the present, and details drawn from the historical context enhance but never overwhelm the narrative (such as the Mexican government’s crackdown on student protesters, also seen in VELVET WAS THE NIGHT by Silvia Moreno-Garcia). Being a fan of luche libre is not necessary to enjoy this book!

It is one of my favorites of 2024 for the inventive storyline, the resonant writing, and the colorful characters as well as the many interesting themes that make this an ideal book club choice.

The Sons of El Rey follows three generations of Vega men through time as they move from rural Michoacán to Mexico City to Los Angeles.

Ernesto, the patriarch of the family, follows his friend Julián (and drags his discontented wife Elena along) from pig farming in the countryside to barely scraping by in the city. In part to make ends meet and in part because he loves the fight, Ernesto becomes the luchador El Rey Coyote. While beloved by the public, his internalized homophobia and inability to connect emotionally create a rift between him, Elena, and Julián resulting in a secret that echoes across generations.

Freddy, Ernesto's son, is struggling to keep his father's gym alive during the peak of the COVID pandemic while Ernesto is slowly fading away in hospice care. Freddy reminisces about his teenage years and how he became a luchador like his father, El Rey Coyote Jr., while he reflects on his relationship with his son Julian who he fails to connect with.

Julian has an MA in English but still can't get enough classes to pay the bills. A man from his gym, Tim, recruits him to hustle for rich, white clients, which sets Julian on a path to reconcile with his father and decide what legacies are worth carrying.

I really enjoyed this book. Told from each man's perspective, plus that of El Rey Coyote, you could see how clearly each man's pain was passed down to the next generation and how they individually try to mitigate it. Where it was lacking for me was Elena's perspective--her chapters were shorter and her character was less developed. With that said, it was an excellent mix of moving and hilarious story telling, and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Sons of El Rey" by Alex Espinoza is a multi-generational saga that explores the complexities of identity, family, and the pursuit of dreams. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Mexican lucha libre wrestling and East Los Angeles, the novel weaves together the stories of three generations of the Vega family.

Full review at the link below!

I really enjoyed the book. I think the alternating perspectives really pushed the narrative along and allowed you to see the queerness hidden in each of the characters, which is an aspect of the novel I really enjoyed. Secondly I also really loved the characterizations, each character truly felt so full and complete, which I really really really enjoyed.

Thank you to Simon and Shuster and NetGalley for an ARC copy to review.

The cover of this book sucked me in and I was excited to read a novel about Lucha Libre. The book told the story from the point of view of three generations of Vega men , with occasional appearances from from the Lucha character-El Rey Coyote and the wife Elena.

To be honest I stalled out on this book midway through and it took awhile to get back to it. I am glad I finished but I do think there were times it was hard to hold my attention. The book is a family saga that spans several time periods and two countries. It does talk about Lucha Libre, but was more focused on its impact for this particular family. It also covered themes of identity, queerness, and culture, sometimes delving deep and other times just offering a bit of a taste. As often happens in stories with multiple viewpoints, it is hard to get a full picture of any of any of the characters and I was left with a lot questions about some of the motives people had for their actions. It was an interesting read, but not my favorite

The very idea of luchadores is Exotic to me, in the settler-colonial sense. I am as far from a wrestling fan that it is possible for someone to be. So, well, what's the appeal of this story to someone like me?

The very idea of the immigrant journey.

Immigrants are the lifeblood of the US on economic and cultural levels. The country wouldn't exist without us. (The Native Americans would doubtless see this as a plus.) The present cultural conversation around immigrants and their role across the world demands that we see the actual, real humans in these roles not abstractions of Otherness. The best way I know to do that is to learn the stories that immigrants tell us. Author Espinoza, infant immigrant to the US, knows the life he's writing about as a grown queer man.

What he does in this novel is to open the world of men whose lives are lived in the weighty spotlight of expectations. The ones they have, the ones their families—born, chosen, made—have, the ones US culture imposes. Exploring that interplay is fertile ground for stories, for secrets, for endless surprises...mostly the surprise, evergreen, of how very much of a miracle it is that there are any adult survivors of childhood. Fathers aren't usually much good at parenting because, well, where would most men learn it? Immigrant fathers don't even have the acquisition of culture to pass down, so these luchadores are actually very lucky in that they have this familial tie to their fathers. Of course, the links in that chain are all shaped very differently. A gay son isn't going to follow his father into the family trade when it's so explicitly homophobic, is he. And, to be honoest, that surprises me: Lucha libre is vivid, male-centered, and as close to drag as it's possible to be without falsies and heels being involved. (Plenty of wigs, though.) It veers at the last second into that other drag-adjacent cosplay genre, the superhero/supervillain dichotomy.

The women in the story are peripheral, and that is (I believe) by design. If it's going to bother you not to read yet another take on immigrant mother pluckily overcomes cultural and patriarchal barriers story, there's shelves of books that will stroke your needy story parts. The existential stakes aren't, for once, set by the women but by and for men. The women aren't consulted or considered. How very unexaminedly patriarchal. You've been warned.

For #PrideMonth, it's a dads-and-lads custom-made celebration of the bond we either fail to form or miss feeling; it's a clear-eyed look at the gay-son-defies-tradition tale so popular in our group; and a call to acceptance of nonwhite men in our wider community. It's also, in Author Espinoza's award-winning tradition, a delight to read on the language level. Don't expect a deep dive into the world, and language, of the luchadores...our focus is definitely on the people, the family they form and change. They live in the intense, hyperreal fakeness of lucha libre, but they spend little time examining it. As you do. That means as a consequence that the reader doesn't examine it, either. Go in to the read knowing what's on offer and avoid disappointment, says me.

The Mexican backstory is, in my view, scanty. It's not meant to be a knock...it's not the story solely of El Rey Coyote...but it does seem to me that another chapter in Michoacán would've been very welcome. The ending is rushed, and contains a plot thread that's...obscure...for the vast majority of the book. That missing half-star is down to my sense that it was pretty much just sprung on me, though I hasten to say that it did not feel as though it was parachuted in from above. It just wasn't given any oxygen until the ending. Again, best to know now, not come up suddenly upon the end and think, "...wait...".

Not my perfect read, but one I enjoyed very much indeed. A terrific #PrideMonth read.

I loved the unique premise of lucha libre!! in this multigenerational drama. The setting was rich and immersive throughout even with the time jumps, which are never my fave. The family saga had me invested with the sexy secrets, forbidden love, and commentary on identity and queerness. I do wish the characters would’ve had more growth, especially Elena for talk of being a guerrera. Truthfully, I was dying for her to recognize her worth and lay her own smackdown.

Overall rating: 4.25 out of 5 (rounded down to a 4)

I would highly recommend this novel to those that enjoy generational stories that utilize multiple perspectives.

I found this story absolutely beautiful and masterful in its ability to cover so much between generations, how much can be passed between them, and how heavily secrets can weigh on yourself and those around you. It felt like there was so much care given to cover such a vast set of heavy moments faced by each of the characters. Along with that, it felt as though the art of lucha libre was a character in of itself. I especially appreciated how much I got to learn about the love and art of Mexican wrestling and its importance to a culture and community.

As beautiful as I found the work, I did find myself struggling at times with how the swapping perspectives were handled. I would sometimes worry that I read things out of order as the timelines shifted in non-linear ways and it would cause me to backtrack. However, I did love the snappiness to each perspective as it made this book feel quite fast-paced. When a point of view would come to a close, I was always eager to get back to it to learn more of that character’s story.

Along with that, the format of this had me invested in each character and helped to make them all stand out in such unique ways. Each swap of the perspective developed the characters so well and helped to build up the relationships between each one. Even though their circumstances were all so different, I could come to understand how they were shaped by their life experiences and I wanted to give them all such big hugs for everything that they had fought through. Being as invested as I was, I found the ending to be the perfect emotional payoff.

I definitely plan to read the other books in this author’s catalog.