REVIEW: ‘House of Bone and Rain’ is a Puerto Rico noir

(NEXSTAR) — Author Gabino Iglesias’ latest novel, “House of Bone and Rain” is about many things — vengeance, friendship, poverty — but it’s also the portrait of an American territory many Americans probably rarely consider: Puerto Rico. In Iglesias’ novel, which is out this week, the Caribbean island is a place haunted by myths — and maybe even monsters.

“House of Bone and Rain” follows recent high school graduates and lifelong best friends Gabe, Bimbo, Xavier, Tavo and Paul, whose aspirations are put on hold when Bimbo’s mother, Maria, is gunned down by henchmen of the island’s top drug kingpin, Papalote.

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Marketed as a dark-hearted “Stand By Me,” Iglesias’ novel is both beautiful and brutal, as protagonist Gabe and his friends vow to avenge Maria’s death — leaving a trail of bodies across the Puerto Rican slums.

It’s an oft-noted cliche to call a story’s setting one of its characters, but in “House of Bone and Rain,” the island of Puerto Rico is very much alive and central to the plot. While the boys follow their leads into the island’s criminal underworld another problem is brewing — a massive hurricane headed straight for Puerto Rico.

The novel, which combines clean and elevated prose with a propulsive (and often shocking) plot, exposes aspects of Puerto Rican life many mainlanders may never have considered before. Iglesias’ characters love their island lives but know that they’ll likely need to leave it behind to have a secure future. Iglesias expertly draws a deep conflict into the book’s bones, with readers shown a Puerto Rico that’s often left out on its own: neither sovereign or part of the U.S. Through Iglesias’ world-building, readers see how the island’s poor have little to rely on as far as government help, and what authority exists is often corrupted by the area’s criminals.

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As the boys spiral deeper into the dark underbelly, they’re haunted not only by Papalote’s men — who could be anybody at any time — but by the island’s own ghost stories.

The island’s cultural and religious legends hang like a mystical canopy over the bloody rampage, as Gabe and his friends increasingly turn to ancient gods and local superstitions for help or protection. Most importantly, the boys learn the truth of one of the neighborhood’s scariest and oldest mysteries: What lives out on one of the island’s most treacherous coves?

Though “House of Bone and Rain” is unrelenting and dark, there is much light and humor to be found among the chaos. Iglesias’ characters hum with life, and readers will find them as likeable as they do frustrating — much like real-life friends and family.

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In “House,” Iglesias presents a terrific summer read for those wanting a page-turner that’s also thoughtful, emotional and substantive. Much like the characters at the heart of the novel, you’ll find yourself living with its ghosts even after you’ve turned the last page. “House of Bone and Rain” is a knockout literary release for 2024.

Gabino Iglesias is the Shirley Jackson and Bram Stoker Award-winning author of 2022’s “The Devil Takes You Home.” In addition to his four novels, Iglesias’ writing has appeared in the New York Times and NPR. He lives in Austin, Texas.

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