This book was such a compelling read. This multi-generational tale dives deep into the world of lucha libre, exploring themes of masculinity, love, and family through the lives of Ernesto, Freddy, and Julian Vega. The alternating perspectives, including Ernesto’s late wife Elena and his wrestling persona El Rey Coyote, offer a rich tapestry of voices that pull you into their struggles and triumphs.

The non-linear timeline can be a bit challenging, but it adds unique layers to the story, making each character's journey feel real and relatable. I found Elena’s perspective particularly moving, as it highlights the often-overlooked struggles of women in patriarchal cultures. Her ghostly narrative is a poignant critique of machismo and the sacrifices she made.

Espinoza’s vivid descriptions of Mexico City and Los Angeles provide a vibrant backdrop to the Vega family’s saga, making me nostalgic for my childhood growing up on the San Diego/Tijuana border. While the plot twist at the end felt a bit abrupt, the novel’s exploration of identity and legacy resonated deeply. As a mom with Hispanic roots, I appreciated the cultural depth and the way it sheds light on the complexities of identity and legacy. The Sons of El Rey is a beautiful blend of family drama and cultural heritage that left me thinking about the Vega family long after I turned the last page.

Description:

A timeless, epic novel about a family of luchadores contending with forbidden love and secrets in Mexico City, Los Angeles, and beyond.

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 you from the ranches of Michoacán to the makeshift colonias of Mexico City. Freddy describes 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 intimate portrait of a family wading against time and legacy, yet always choosing the fight.

My Take:
The book matches its description, yet it leans more towards drama than action. As an avid professional wrestling enthusiast, my expectation was that the book would delve into the mechanics of wrestling matches and provide detailed portrayals of the luchadores, their character development, their costumes and more. I hoped to be transported into the gym, the ring, and the burlesque shows alongside them. However, the book merely makes cursory mentions of well-known American wrestling promotions and shows, which, while enjoyable, missed an opportunity to critique how lucha libre is represented to American audiences. The in-depth exploration of lucha libre I anticipated was absent, leaving me desiring more. On the other hand, the exploration of family dynamics and personal relationships resonated with me to a greater extent. Overall, this book checks several boxes: family drama, sports literature, Mexican and Mexican American literature, LGBTQIA+ literature, and pop culture, making it a valuable addition to any library or reading list.

I suspect that Alex Espinoza's The Sons of El Rey may wind up being my favorite read of the summer. It's a wonderful read, despite the fact the the novel's characters go through some decidedly un-wonderful experiences, but there's also joy—a lot like real life as we know and live it.

The novel tells the story of three generations of a family that becomes deeply involved in Lucha Libre. Ernesto, the patriarch of the family, is scouted in Mexico City as a potential Luchador. The work is demanding, bruising, exhilarating, and unpredictable. In East Los Angeles, his son Freddy (Alfredo) also becomes a luchador, less successful than his father, but competent; he also is trying to keep afloat the gym Ernesto founded. Freddy's son Julián will never be a luchador. He's fighting his own battles as a gay man of color trying to find a place for himself in the world. He's got an advanced degree and ekes out a living as a teacher of college composition, picking up classes wherever he can at a variety colleges and spending as much time on the freeways as he does in the classroom.

Each of these three men—and other characters as well, inclluding some of the women—narrate parts of this novel. No one has the complete story, and as the narrators alternate family secrets surface again and again. It's the unfolding of these secrets and the ways the characters manage their new knowledge that make this book so wonderful—and the fact that the secrets some of the characters uncover have to do with their own identities. You'll find things to like and dislike about every character, but whether you're liking or disliking them, you'll be glad you're journeying with them across these three generations.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

"A timeless, epic novel about a family of luchadores contending with forbidden love and secrets in Mexico City, Los Angeles, and beyond.

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 you from the ranches of Michoacán to the makeshift colonias of Mexico City. Freddy describes 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 intimate portrait of a family wading against time and legacy, yet always choosing the fight."

Tell me more about lucha burlesque!

The Sons of El Rey by Alex Espinoza is a captivating exploration of a family grappling with its deepest, most closely guarded secrets. With mesmerizing prose and unflinching storytelling, Espinoza's luchadores will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on your heart. This timeless and epic novel follows a family of luchadores as they navigate forbidden love and hidden truths in the vibrant settings of Mexico City, Los Angeles, and beyond.

I really enjoyed this tale of 3 generations of men from the Vega family. Their story is full of secrets, lies, queer and forbidden love, generational trauma, loss, and Mexican luchador culture. The POVs alternate between the main characters, including one from grandfather Ernesto’s alter ego: El Rey Coyote, which was very interesting to read from. I loved the writing style, it kept me engaged and wanting to learn more about their story. The reveals were not totally unpredictable but I still found them fascinating. I wish I felt a little more of an emotional connection, but I highly recommend this novel.

I found this book very interesting and thought-provoking. The Vega family is complicated and messy but I really enjoyed reading about their history. All of the background on the luchadores was fascinating. I would definitely recommend this book!

THE SONS OF EL REY is told through three generations of the Vega family—Ernesto, his son Freddy, and his grandson Julian. Ernesto’s deceased wife, Elena, provides her point of view as does Ernesto’s alter ego, lucha libre superstar El Rey Coyote. The story is also told during different times periods as the narrative bounces between the different characters. After moving to Mexico City, Ernesto gets caught up in the world of lucha libre and becomes a major star. Life takes them to Los Angeles where Freddy grows up and becomes El Ret Coyote Jr. The novel explores masculinity, sexuality, and racism. THE SONS OF EL REY is very well written. It is a very intriguing novel though the twist at the end was a bit abrupt.

The Sons of El Rey folllows the story of a family of lunchadores from Ernesto to his son Alfredo and grandson Julian. At the start, we learn that Ernesto is an old man, slowly dying in hospice. His son, Ernesto, followed in his footsteps becoming a lunchadore at a time in his life when it gave him purpose and meaning. He also took over his father's gym he built after his wife passed away. Julian is a college professor trying to make ends meet. Scared of intimacy, struggling to understand his father and himself. What follows are chapters of their interwoven lives. Ernesto living in Mexico City with his wife Elena working construction with a childhood friend Julian when he gets discovered by lucha libre trainor. Ernesto is thrust into the spotlight and finds fame and fortune. Elena and Julian both struggle with his fame as their love for him can't seem to compete with his lucha libre persona, El Rey Coyote. Alfredo is struggling to find his own purpose as his father lays dying and the gym he built seems to be suffering the same fate. Julian has always felt distant from his father. A fear of failing or disappointing him by not being a lucha libre superstar or having much interest in it has strangled their relationship.

I enjoyed Sons of El Rey by Alex Espinoza. Like the characters themselves, what keeps you reading is that secret you can tell is just beneath the surface that you just haven't gotten to yet. It's the small snippets of from the haunting specters of Elena, Ernesto as he lay dying and the El Rey Coyote that offer you a glimpse into the inner world of a man like Ernesto. Battling with his want to live a happy, successful life as a married man and his deep love and passion for Julian. Their story is heartbreaking until the bitter end. It's the juxtaposition of grandson Julian willfully sabotaging his relationship with college friend Phillip despite being deeply in love and the relationship being one of genuine care and understanding compared to what Ernesto went through as a young man that gets to the theme of Sons of El Rey. All any of the fathers want is for their children and grandchildren to have better lives than they did. Julian has the opportunity to live openly, with parents who support him, and a true love he found early in life, but he's too afriad. Like his father and grandfather, he feels this generational trauma of needing to have his guard up, to protect himself. Not express too much emotion, not share too much information. It's not until Julian finds the photograph of his grandfather and his friend Julian that he realizes what the family legacy really is - true love.

While I admittedly know nothing of the sport, Lucha Libre has always been one of those vibrant parts of the Mexican culture. The amount of people it draws from a tiny backyard stage to a massive national stage is staggering. The book really speaks to that at different levels of fame.

It’s a multi-generational immigrant story about legacy. Always trying to make life better for themselves and their children while dealing with what was passed down. The difference in struggles between women and men, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons.

I loved the queer stories which for many years were so taboo in Mexican culture and for many, still is. The stoicism and ultimate lack of communication is something that many Mexican families can relate to.

While I wish I would have timed this for Pride month, I now get to encourage you to absolutely check it out next month on 6/11! Thanks to @simonandschuster @netgalley @ae_espinoza for this wonderful arc 💖

Following the Vega family through multiple generations through the life of El Rey Coytoa was an interesting concept. The story is told from the viewpoints of grandfather, father, son, Lucha, and grandmother. The story will skip from present time to back in time within the same chapter and the same character's voice. I do not like a disjointed timeline, so I had trouble getting into the story. I know that lots of people love the back and forth-in a story, so it might be great for others.

This was an interesting story, I liked it more than I expected to. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the gifted arc.

I really loved the flow and life this book had. The writing was easy and flawless and such a good read. I definitely didn’t put it down unless I had to. I enjoyed all of the characters and the story line. Overall I gave it a 5 star on Goodreads and I’m so glad I got my hands on it thank you NetGalley and publishers! I’d love it in a physical copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon&Shuster for the eARC.

The Sons of El Rey follows three generations of la familia Vega through a changing tapestry of love, loss, and the world of lucha libre. Events are told from different character perspectives (Ernesto, Freddy, Julian, Elena, and El Rey Coyote) which reveals the pains, loves and disappointments of each. If only each was able to communicate with each other in this way.....something fairly common to all families.

As a fan that grew up watching lucha libre, it was fantastic to have this world serve as the story's backdrop....a breath of fresh air. The Vega men (and women) experienced wins and losses, but never gave up the fight.

Having El Rey Coyote as it's own character was a great move. I get that it's "The Sons of" but would have liked more from Elena. Mercy doesn't even get a single chapter.

Excellent subject matter - lucha libre, generations of a family in Mexico and LA, the passing down of tradition to the men in the family. I enjoyed all of that. Where the book lost me was first, in the female characters who seemed not fully fleshed out and peripheral, and second in the narration/viewpoint pages of El Rey Coyote. That narration didn't shed much light, didn't feel omniscient, and so what was the point? It almost seemed like a missed opportunity. There was a lot to like in this book, though, and I enjoyed the journey.

What an awesome book!

Espinoza takes us through DF (Mexico City) and Los Angelos as we follow flashbacks from one of the most famed La Luchadores - El Rey Coyote. A fantastic story of his genesis as first a pig farmer to a man of near rock star fame. His wife Elena, the matriarch of the story is also featured and her flashbacks add more of the generational tale including the storylines of their son Freddy and his own son Julian.

This quick moving culturally rich story will astound you. And if you haven't, you must see La Luchador Libre!
.#alexespinoza #thesonsofelrey #simon&Schuster

DNF.

This one just isn't for me. I can't focus, can't keep the characters straight, and the writing is uninspiring. I don't feel anything special towards this book in general. Next!

"The Sons of El Rey" by Alex Espinoza is a touching look at multiple generations of a Mexican family, both in their relationships to each other, to place and to lucha libre. The novel spans different times and places until the present day when the patriarch of the family is dying. I love the complex ways that Espinoza looks at sexuality and describes it, and the family's reactions to each other with love. I also appreciated the multiple points of view in the story. I appreciated Espinoza's insights into lucha libre, migration, desire and struggles of young professors. I loved learning more about lucha libre such as the masks, and the focus on the queer aspects of lucha libre were really interesting. Some of the unexpected responses and relationships around gay male sexuality were touching. Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the eARC.

A unique, time jumping, multigenerational, multiple point of view family story following a former star of Mexican Lucha Libre - El Rey Coyote. It follows the lives, loves and secrets of Ernesto, his son Alfredo, and grandson Julian from Mexico to Los Angeles. Each chapter is clearly labelled to indicate the point of view which makes it easy to keep track.

It comments on changes in lucha libre, queerness, and Mexican identity through time and across borders. I liked this book and its original concept (especially not knowing much about the history of lucha libre) and its exploration of the masks people wear. It also illustrates isolation caused by not being truthful with our families.