W. W. Norton & Company
The Five Wounds
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It's Holy Week in the small town of Las Penas, New Mexico, and thirty-three-year-old unemployed Amadeo Padilla has been given the part of Jesus in the Good Friday procession. He is preparing feverishly for this role when his fifteen-year-old daughter Angel shows up pregnant on his doorstep and disrupts his plans for personal redemption. With weeks to go until her due date, tough, ebullient Angel has fled her mother's house, setting her life on a startling new path.
Vivid, tender, funny, and beautifully rendered, The Five Wounds spans the baby's first year as five generations of the Padilla family converge: Amadeo's mother, Yolanda, reeling from a recent discovery; Angel's mother, Marissa, whom Angel isn't speaking to; and disapproving Tíve, Yolanda's uncle and keeper of the family's history. Each brings expectations that Amadeo, who often solves his problems with a beer in his hand, doesn't think he can live up to.
The Five Wounds is a miraculous debut novel from a writer whose stories have been hailed as "legitimate masterpieces" (New York Times). Kirstin Valdez Quade conjures characters that will linger long after the final page, bringing to life their struggles to parent children they may not be equipped to save.
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780393242836
EAN:
9780393242836
Binding:
Hardcover
Pages:
432
Authors:
Kirstin Valdez Quade
Publisher:
W. W. Norton & Company
Published Date: 2021-30-03
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I downloaded this thinking it had far more to do with Holy Week. It is NOT a religious book. But the story was well written with deep meaningful points made between the sex scenes.
This book is an emotional, tough read. This is not a fairytale, and not a book to read. If you’re looking for a feel-good story. But the characters are incredibly well developed, well written, and exceptionally believable. Give up all expectations of what will happen and open yourself up to the story. I promise, you’ll be glad you did.
Set in a small town in New Mexico, this story has universal significance. I found it a unique study of common characters bungling along with their highs and lows, their dream and short fallings. Each chapter is told from another person's viewpoint, focusing on their reactions to other people and their internal dialogue. Then about half-way through, unlikely new relationships suddenly occur and the book intensifies. I began caring about the characters and realized they were doing the best they could.I don't agree with others that the book was sad -- except maybe the beginning. The middle was exciting. The ending was good, realistic, and hopeful. The author has a profound understanding of human dynamics, and the effects of drinking and using upon individuals and the ones who love them. It all rang exceptionally true for me. It never got heavy-handed. Her treatment of religion was effective. I seldom give a five-star rating, but this one gets it.
The writing is fantastic. The story immerses you like you’re reading about your own distant family. I’ve recently forced myself to get back into reading and this book really helped me dig in. Thank you Kristin.
This was a book club read and not a book that I would pick. However, the book is very well written. She portrayed the tragedies of cancer, poverty, alcoholism, drug use, and teen pregnancy in a very well written story.
