OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sotol" by sal mirabal.]

Sotol by Sal Mirabal is a cultural study written in the form of a novel. Set in Las Flores, New Mexico, a small, predominantly Hispanic town, the book follows the lives of several young men over the course of a summer. The story opens with the funeral of Danny, a close friend of Mike Montes. After the funeral, Mike visits Sammy Q., whose home is a local drinking hangout. Sotol is a distilled spirit popular in northern Mexico and is one of the drinks served here. While at Sammy Q.'s, a group of Tejanos, Mexican Americans from Texas, join the group and an argument turns violent. This is just the first among many violent interactions that take place throughout the story.

Mike and several other young men have been accepted into a program to help prepare them for college and successful careers. Mike is desperate to escape his life in the barrio with its many problems such as drugs, alcohol, violence, and poverty. Sadly, the brightest young man in this group has already been dropped from the program due to his addiction to heroin. As determined as Mike is to succeed in college and beyond, he too finds himself in grave danger on account of drugs.

Sotol is written in an unusual style. Where most novels are plot driven, Sotol flows from character to character and situation to situation linked largely by relationships while the official plot remains in the background until the climax. The reader learns about the characters current situations, their backgrounds, as well as the stories of many minor characters. This provides a well-rounded picture of what life is like in Las Flores. One of the first things I noticed when starting to read this book is the absence of quotation marks. This initially made it difficult for me to follow the dialogue. While I eventually adjusted to this style, the text never had the clarity in my mind it would have had if the author had used traditional punctuation.

The author's personal experience and education in psychology and counseling make this book a very realistic look into Hispanic culture in the American Southwest. He portrays his characters with unfiltered honesty from the language they use to their sexual fantasies and exploits. Drugs and drug trafficking affect nearly everyone in the community either directly or indirectly. From this insider's view, the reader can see how easy it is for an individual to become ensnared in drug-related activity just by living in the community. While this book tends to focus on the darker side of Hispanic culture, there are also many beautiful and good things as well. The story of how Mike's parents met and married is one such example of a love story with a sweet and happy outcome.

While I cannot say that Sotol was a joy to read, I can say I believe it is a valuable contribution to American literature that may help many adults gain a better understanding of Hispanic culture and the challenges facing thousands of young people in the Hispanic community. With that said, I must provide a few warnings regarding the contents of this book. I strongly recommend that parents keep this book away from their children and teens. Adult language is used frequently throughout the book. Sexual fantasies are detailed and there are highly descriptive sex scenes that to me felt like porn without the photos. Additionally, violent encounters are descriptive and include torture and murder.

I am giving this book 4 out of 4 stars. In spite of the things I did not enjoy reading, I learned so much from this book that I can't give it anything less. It is well written and has only a few minor errors such as a missing preposition or incorrect verb tense. I recommend this book to adults who want to broaden their understanding of Hispanic culture.

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Sotol
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Thank you for the insightful review. It seems like a deep read, with the author’s no-holds-barred portrayal of Hispanic culture.

I have explored many cultures but never Hispanic culture. This can be my first reading about this culture. Thank you for your detailed review.

ParadoxicalWoman wrote: ↑17 Jun 2018, 06:13 I have explored many cultures but never Hispanic culture. This can be my first reading about this culture. Thank you for your detailed review.

Glad you liked it! I definitely learned a lot from this book, even though it is very raw. How easy it is to get trapped is probably the biggest thing that has stuck with me. I probably never would have understood that if I hadn't read this book.

Thank you for a thorough review and thoughtful rating. As much as I love reading about other cultures, I would be troubled by the mature material you mentioned (especially the sex stuff). I'm assuming that is part of why it wasn't a joy for you to read

Thank you Just summarised it so well. It's short and precise.

The Hispanic culture would be interesting and it’s good to see a book that deals realistically with the pull of drug culture. However, graphic drug scenes turn me away from a book. Thanks for the thorough review.

SABRADLEY wrote: ↑17 Jun 2018, 17:25 Thank you for a thorough review and thoughtful rating. As much as I love reading about other cultures, I would be troubled by the mature material you mentioned (especially the sex stuff). I'm assuming that is part of why it wasn't a joy for you to read

It was a big part of it. It’s also hard to enjoy reading about people who are stuck between a rock and a hard place and making bad decisions in part because of the bad decisions of others.

Great review. The exploration of another culture sounds fascinating. I’d prefer it without the graphic elements though.

A well versed review! I am sure may teen would find this suitable who is addicted to alcohol and drugs. Hope this book will brighten up their lives. Thank you for your review!

Thanks for the detailed review. This sounds like a very transparent description of a community, warts and all, and despite my reservations about graphic portrayal of sex and drugs, I also appreciate the depiction of reality in a book that, maybe, strives to bring about change by exposing ills.

I agree that it sounds like this is a valuable read, but I'm just not sure I can make it through the highly detailed violence and sexual fantasies. Still, I'm glad that you were able to... not necessarily enjoy it, but appreciate it, perhaps? I think I'm going to have to take a pass on this one. Thanks, though.

It sounds like this book fills a gap in literature with regard to its format and its subject matter. I love learning more about cultures I am otherwise unfamiliar with through reading - or through any media. I applaud the author's efforts not to shy away from the realism of drugs and drug culture. You can't combat what you're unwilling to face, after all. Even so, the presence of "porn without pictures" and absence of quotation marks will keep me away from this one. I loved your thorough review!

SamSim wrote: ↑18 Jun 2018, 10:45 It sounds like this book fills a gap in literature with regard to its format and its subject matter. I love learning more about cultures I am otherwise unfamiliar with through reading - or through any media. I applaud the author's efforts not to shy away from the realism of drugs and drug culture. You can't combat what you're unwilling to face, after all. Even so, the presence of "porn without pictures" and absence of quotation marks will keep me away from this one. I loved your thorough review!

I agree you have to understand, but at the same time, I wonder a little bit about such a negative image of the Hispanic community. Personally, I felt bad that I actually came away feeling less comfortable in the presence of Hispanic men I don’t already know. I hate how racist I am, but I don’t know how to change that without feeling in danger.

Thank you for the insightful review. While this book does not seem for me, I must say that it sounds like a valuable addition to literature. I'm sure there's a lot to learn from this.