Brides and sinners in El Chuco : short stories /

Granados's art makes itself known as an impulse to discover something new about the influence of US residence on folks of Mexican origin living in El Paso. These short stories are most interesting--and seem most significant--when they work out the ways biology figures in identity. This is particularly obvious in the collection's clincher, "Vieja Chueca," in which a third-generation US resident watches her recently arrived neighbors. Eventually the daring lad from across the way leads her to where she sees her husband bed the boy's mother. The husband is obeying at least two calls of the blood: the boy's mother represents his own family's Mexican hometown. Many of the stories are about kids uncritically and unconsciously intent on being more Texas than Tejas. One subset of tales is called "The Latchkey Chronicles," and these show how four siblings get along when their parents are not around. Granados's stories sometimes feature modest resolutions, in the mode of the day. In at least one respect, these stories are more attractive than many that emanate from scholarly presses: they are very readable in their deceptive simplicity. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. All readers; all levels. G. W. Clift formerly, Kansas State University

El Paso is El Chuco to locals of the border town where Granados sets the 14 stories of this debut. A young woman models her wedding on those she saw in magazines full of gringas, but her reality (as is the case with many of the characters to follow) differs starkly from her glossy fantasy. In "A Scenic Night," a young woman is saved from humiliation by a deceptively chivalric bartender, who promptly takes her outside for an even greater embarrassment. The young girl in "Man of the House," forced to adopt the role of caretaker for her irresponsible mother, is on the verge of caring about her mother's new boyfriend, but must accept that he will leave like all the rest. The small disappointments of the book are tempered by the characters' abilities to rally hope from unlikely sources, such as the young protagonist in "Enough," who finds solace in a close relationship with her alcoholic, possibly "loca," Aunt Manuela. The author's affection for her characters emerges in her way of bringing them to life with an attention to detail and language that clearly evokes the intensities of half-filled desires. (Feb.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.