Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The Complete Tales of Lucy Gold by Kate Bernheimer



 5/5

Children of God by Mary Doria Russell

5/5

Loteria by Mario Alberto Zambrono

With the expert skill that I have grown to expect from any Iowa Writer's Workshop graduate, Mario Alberto Zambrono deftly tells the story of an 11 year old girl recovering from trauma through journal entries to "You." The exact trauma is left unsaid until the very end and the story hinges perfectly on the subtle mystery that unfolds in an unexpected way. The writing in Loteria stands alone as engaging and rich without ever being trite or surface based on the narrator's youthful age. Short and sweet with a beautiful layout and full color loteria cards interspursed, I give it 8.5/10.