The House of Broken Angels – Luis Alberto Urrea

Wow, what a fun discussion we had! Thanks for everyone who came to our book club meeting. The House of Broken Angels was a great catalyst for lots of dialogue on how families work. There were bits of intrigue, beauty, ugliness, sorrow, joy – it was all there in the story Luis Alberto Urrea shared with us. The main character is Big Angel, a man dying of cancer who doesn’t have a lot of time left. The story takes place over a weekend, one that starts with his mother’s funeral and ends with Big Angel’s last birthday party. Mostly, this story is a celebration of family,

The author takes time setting up scenes by adding little back histories of different characters and including sensory descriptions that jump off the pages. For instance, the different smells he describes are so vivid you can almost place yourself in the scenes either because you know the smell he’s describing or you remember something similar that evokes memories for yourself. The dialogue is another way of connecting to the characters, and by weaving Spanish and English throughout the pages, you feel like you’re sharing intimate moments with each of the characters. Urrea definitely has a way with words and he uses this skill with mastery.

The story didn’t feel contrived at all. It felt honest, probably because there were no pretenses with the characters. The book depicted them as they really were and not what storybook images of perfect families usually look like. It felt real; it felt alive. The fact that the main character, Big Angel,is based on his own brother Juan lends credibility to Urrea’s skill at bringing all of his characters to life.

On a personal note, this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I know I’ll be reading more of Urrea’s books, now that I’ve discovered him. He is a master of storytelling!