Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Cinco Punto

2012

180 páginas

6h 0m

ISBN-13: 9781935955320

Benjamin Alire Sáenz's stories reveal how all borders entangle those who live on either side. Take, for instance, the Kentucky Club on Avenida Juárez two blocks south of the Rio Grande. It’s a touchstone for each of Sáenz’s stories. His characters walk by, they might go in for a drink or to score, or they might just stay there for a while and let their story be told. Sáenz knows that the Kentucky Club, like special watering holes in all cities, is the contrary to borders. It welcomes Spanish and English, Mexicans and gringos, poor and rich, gay and straight, drug addicts and drunks, laughter and sadness, and even despair. It’s a place of rich history and good drinks and cold beer and a long polished mahogany bar. Some days it smells like piss. “I’m going home to the other side.” That’s a strange statement, but you hear it all the time at the Kentucky Club.

Resenhas (1)

3 (Bom)

"But not knowing my way back, I was forced to stay."

I find out this book through a college activity. I was supposed to have read only the first short story "He has gone to be with the women", but after having my heart broken for a while, I had to read everything.

The author's writing is addictive and moving. I must say ... I hardly cry when reading, but I cried twice with this book.

The short stories are heartbreaking and painful and grief is a theme present in all of them.

At some point, the characters' lives cross the border where they live nearby (Juarez El Paso Border) and meet at the Kentucky Club. Their stories are not connected, but they explore the cultural belongingness feelings.

Chicano literature is worth being known, read and appreciated. Grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know it a little thanks to my professor!

These are the stories that made me cry in case you want to know: "He has gone to be with the women" and "Chasing the dragon".

Enjoy the read (and try not to cry... much)!