Four stars for an impressive debut short story collection. Lemus's stories are all told from the perspective of Guatemalan men, showcasing the diversity and the often hardscrabble reality of surviving both in and out of the country.

All of his narrators are flawed, troubled, and memorable in some way: an orphaned teen whose brothers randomly stop cars on the highway to rob them, an old man who guards tourists' cars as they swim in the lake, an immigrant custodian at a small university in the US who falls in love with the new nighttime security woman, and so many more.

The struggle for money, yearning to escape to a better life, and the quotidian challenges of love are themes throughout all the stories - but despite these hard topics, there's light and humor throughout the collection. It's even more fun to read these if you've been to Guatemala and can spot the instantly recognizable hallmarks of the country, like the trafficky mountainous roads, the Pollo Camperos, and the garish chicken buses.

My only complaint - one that rings true for many short story collections - is the abrupt ending to the majority of the stories, almost like Lemus couldn't quite figure out how to wrap up the conflict, so he just ends with a neat, memorable sentence and moves on to the next one.

This book was very well written and enjoyable overall. Most of the stories included this book were pretty sad but some ended on a hopeful note, like the last story. However, some of these stories are pretty dark.

The main characters and setting of each story is really diverse. I think the author should have included at least one story in this collection in which the main character was a woman or girl. Even so, each main character was different from the last. Most are poor (but a few are comfortable), some are old, some are young, etc. The setting also varied from story to story and a few stories take place in the US, not Guatemala.

I learned a little bit more about the country of Guatemala and its culture from this collection of short stories. It was especially interesting to learn about Mayan mythology and the various gods that the Mayas worshipped from the Hotel of the Gods short story. I was also fascinated by the belief system featured in the Ofrendas short story.

I’m looking forward to reading this author’s full-length novel. I hope I won’t have to wait too long to read it.

A collection of stories about Guatemalans & their experience in country or as an expat. Family ties, shady dealings, government/military brutality shine though. Each short story is different, no real theme. There is a lot of illegal activity & drug use. A very real, gritty look at the challenges Guatemalans face in daily life.