House of Bone and Rain - by Gabino Iglesias (Hardcover)

About the Book

"For childhood friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, Paul, and Bimbo, death has always been close. Hurricanes. Car accidents. Gang violence. Suicide. 'Estamos rodeados de fantasmas' was Gabe's grandmother's refrain: 'We are surrounded by ghosts.' But this time is different. Bimbo's mom has been shot dead. Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names. Soon they learn Maria was gunned down by guys working for the drug kingpin of Puerto Rico. No one has ever gone up against him and survived"--

Book Synopsis

In this "stunningly visceral" (New York Times Book Review) novel, a group of young men seek vengeance after one of their mothers is murdered in a Puerto Rican slum; STAND BY ME with a haunted, obsidian-dark heart.
A Barnes & Noble Best Horror Book of the Year
For childhood friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, Paul, and Bimbo, death has always been close. Hurricanes. Car accidents. Gang violence. Suicide. Estamos rodeados de fantasmas was Gabe's grandmother's refrain. We are surrounded by ghosts. But this time is different. Bimbo's mom has been shot dead. We're gonna kill the guys who killed her Bimbo swears. And they all agree.

Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names. Soon, they learn Maria was gunned down by guys working for the drug kingpin of Puerto Rico. No one has ever gone up against him and survived. As the boys strategize, a storm gathers far from the coast. Hurricanes are known to carry evil spirits in their currents and bring them ashore, spirits which impose their own order.

Blurring the boundaries between myth, mysticism, and the grim realities of our world, House of Bone and Rain is a harrowing coming of age story; a doomed tale of devotion, the afterlife of violence, and what rolls in on the tide.

Review Quotes

"Iglesias weaves in Puerto Rican history, mythology and spiritualism with a bit of the supernatural. The tenets of horror and thriller often intersect in "House of Bone and Rain." Iglesias illustrates the beauty of Puerto Rico as it shows how the residents suffered in the aftermath of the hurricane. The novel skirts close to gratuitous violence, but Iglesias' strong storytelling and beautiful prose elevate the story."--South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"Gabino Iglesias casts the grit and gore of street violence against a cosmic backdrop, and he doesn't hold back from prolonged, brutal beatdowns. . . a lament for young, dumb men and the codes they feel pressured to live by."--Neil McRobert, Esquire

"House of Bone and Rain is very much about the human blood and guts and darkness of living through Hurricane Maria in San Juan, but it also touches on the paranormal in a complementary way. Iglesias's writing is intensely violent and intensely visceral (in the sense that Iglesias takes you right like how the weather feels and how emotions feel, as well as, you know, actual viscera), and it goes down brutal and fast."--The Maris Review

"I loved this book. One of my favs this year!"--Ayesha Rascoe, NPR

"The book captures, in stunningly visceral detail, not only the havoc of a hurricane that left thousands dead, but also the everyday life of a vulnerable community . . . It is in Iglesias' stark, authoritative, sometimes surprisingly beautiful descriptions of the grit and pessimism of urban Puerto Rico that his prose turns electric."--Christopher Bollen, New York Times Book Review

"In his most accessible work to date, Iglesias has crafted a coming-of-age story that blends friendship, vengeance, and mysticism in beautifully written prose that demonstrates the thinness of the boundary between the spiritual world and grim reality. Recommended for fans of S.A. Cosby and Stephen Graham Jones and those who enjoy Nordic noir, with its strong sense of place and of the power of weather."--Library Journal, Starred Review

"A propulsive supernatural thriller. . Corpses, clairvoyants, traitors--and specters with gills!--populate Iglesias's vengeful frightfest. He writes with a steely resignation, mirroring his characters' youthful tunnel-vision that won't be tempered by (still living) mothers, struggling sisters, questioning girlfriends."--Shelf Awareness

"Iglesias blends the history and myths of Puerto Rico into a gritty coming-of-age story, whose violent excesses may be off-putting to some readers. Readers who like their horror bloody, however, will be pleased."--Publishers Weekly

"Iglesias is an unstoppable force himself, intensifying the grief and widespread helplessness felt on the island post-Maria, along with the supernatural elements."--Kirkus Reviews

"The author of The Devil Takes You Home conjures a story of ghosts, gangland carnage and serious storm winds in this tale of four childhood friends from Puerto Rico who seek vengeance when one of their mothers is murdered. If this is magical realism it's a dark, grimy variety that takes no prisoners."--Boston Globe

"Pour a large glass of horror master Stephen King with a jigger of spicy Don Winslow and garnish with a splash of magical realism, and you have Iglesias's latest, a tall, tasty cocktail. Five boys, childhood pals, are surrounded by ghosts, violence and accidents. The book's "Stand By Me"-like setup turns into a vigilante tale when one of their mothers is shot and killed. The highly skilled Iglesias draws on the familiar without any worry that it might not be freshly frightening. Puerto Rican drug dealers, hurricanes, evil spirits and revenge are all ingredients in this potent novel."--Lisa Levy, The Washington Post

"House of Bone and Rain is one of the most intense, scary, and lovingly heartbroken modern novels you'll read. It is a story of violence and hauntings, of friendship and deadly winds in paradise. And it is unforgettable."--Mariana Enriquez, bestselling author of OUR SHARE OF NIGHT

"Intricately plotted, with a strong sense of place, told with awe-inspiringly lyrical language and brutal violence, this is a remarkable novel that beams its hope into the darkness; a
story that stands on its own as wholly original while confidently inserting itself into a conversation
with horror's complicated past. It's a story that will introduce readers to a new favorite author while they wait for the next S. A. Cosby or Stephen Graham Jones."--Booklist, Starred Review

"This book is a symphony of vengeance, violence, and loyalty. At once a coming of age, page-turning epic as well as a nail-biting journey of suspense, House of Bone and Rain takes absolutely no prisoners. It also manages to be dark and beautiful and relentless. There's a storm coming this summer...and its name is Gabino Iglesias."
--Richard Chizmar, author of BECOMING THE BOOGEYMAN

"Gripping, eerie, and impossible to put down, House of Bone and Rain is a dark coming-of-age story drenched with spectral terror. And it's a page-turning dive into the cost of vengeance, loyalty, and love. Gabino Iglesias walks the electric high wire between crime and horror with breathtaking assurance."--Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of HEAT 2

"A pulse-pounding, blood-spattered revenge tale about the bonds of friendship and the devastation of violence, about ruthless gods and restless ghosts, about love and loss and righteous anger. With breathless pacing, knockout prose, and dynamic characters to follow into the dark, House of Bone and Rain is part crime thriller, part supernatural horror, and completely brilliant."--Rachel Harrison, national bestselling author of BLACK SHEEP

"Iglesias's relentless and overpowering novel comes on like a hurricane - of wind, of bullets, of blood, of hope - and you read it breathlessly, waiting for the eye of the storm."--Daniel Kraus, New York Times-bestselling author of WHALEFALL

"Thoughtful and violent, lyrical and muscular, House of Bone and Rain is a mystical, moving powerhouse that never lets up -- and lingers long after the last sentence. Buy this book and welcome the storm."--Michael Koryta, New York Times-bestselling author of AN HONEST MAN

About the Author

Gabino Iglesias is the author of the Shirley Jackson and Bram Stoker award-winning novel, The Devil Takes You Home, as well as author of the critically acclaimed and award-winning novels Zero Saints and Coyote Songs. He is a writer, journalist, professor, and literary critic living in Austin, Texas. He is the horror columnist for the New York Times Book Review.