Roque Larraquy

Get ready for a slow burn virus outbreak read.

I'd been hearing about this book from many of the bookish people I follow, and put off reading it because of it's YA nature. I'm not here for teen drama y'all. But I figured I would give it a try since I found the audiobook on Libby. Rory Power does an excellent job at capturing the emotional state of girls ranging in age of 13 - 18 living through something unfathomable. There was none of the tropey things I usually loathe about YA reads.

The story focuses on one friend group, following them as they push through each day, wondering if a cure will come, who will be assigned what duties, and will this next wave be the one that kills them. It sucks you in, the slow build of the description, and the nature of the disease. At first I was wanting more information but looking back it was a great way to ramp up the build to the climax of the story. The virus is the mystery for the reader to discover as the story progresses. Mistakes are made, emotions run hot, and lies come out. I couldn't help but wonder what I would have done as the adult in the sea of adolescents girls, looking to me to make the best choices for their survival.

Overall the virus is unique and I loved the flair of how it presented in various ages/sexes & wildlife. I was a bit disappointed in the ending. While it's a solid ending, it left too many 'real world' questions for me. I did love the aspects that dealt with how each characters story is wrapped up. Just the overall ending to the outbreak was a tad lackluster. Kind of makes me want a second book, though. So maybe it did it's job.

REP: Lesbian
TW: suicide, murder, graphic gore… (more)

Comemadre takes the likely apocryphal Lavoisier story of the blinking guillotined head to new levels. Body horror looms throughout this short novella that asks to what lengths men will go to achieve scientific or aesthetic greatness. While any piece written about the process of shock value art can easily dip into absurd satire, Larraquy doesn’t entirely lose his grasp on the reader. I was left wanting more from the characters whose obsessions commodify bodies–both theirs and others’–in whole and in parts.… (more)

Comemadre
by Roque Larraquy
2010 / 2018
Coffee House Press, Minneapolis
5 / 5

Oh My God! This is one of he sickest, creepiest and absurd stories I have ever read. Its dark and funny and I loved it! This is a short story and a novella, set 100 years apart but are connected. Set in Argentina in a sanitarium in 1907, where they are doing experiments using cancer patients....one of the bizarre and macabre stories that just gets more extreme as you read. This story of image, identity, medical testing and deformities takes a look at the field of psychiatry through the back door.
Excellent. Unforgettable and not for the faint of heart.… (more)