Everything begins and ends at the Kentucky Club

Paperback

English language

Published Dec. 24, 2012 by Cinco Puntos Press.

ISBN:: 978-1-935955-32-0
OCLC Number:: 756581206

Benjamin Alire Sáenz's stories reveal how all borders—real, imagined, sexual, human, the line between dark and light, addict and straight—entangle those who live on either side.

Take, for instance, the Kentucky Club on Avenida Juárez two blocks south of the Rio Grande. It's a touchstone for each of Sáenz's stories. His characters walk by, they might go in for a drink or to score, or they might just stay there for a while and let their story be told. Sáenz knows that the Kentucky Club, like special watering holes in all cities, is the contrary to borders. It welcomes Spanish and English, Mexicans and gringos, poor and rich, gay and straight, drug addicts and drunks, laughter and sadness, and even despair. It's a place of rich history and good drinks and cold beer and a long polished mahogany bar. Some days it smells like piss. "I'm going home to …

Benjamin Alire Sáenz's stories reveal how all borders—real, imagined, sexual, human, the line between dark and light, addict and straight—entangle those who live on either side.

Take, for instance, the Kentucky Club on Avenida Juárez two blocks south of the Rio Grande. It's a touchstone for each of Sáenz's stories. His characters walk by, they might go in for a drink or to score, or they might just stay there for a while and let their story be told. Sáenz knows that the Kentucky Club, like special watering holes in all cities, is the contrary to borders. It welcomes Spanish and English, Mexicans and gringos, poor and rich, gay and straight, drug addicts and drunks, laughter and sadness, and even despair. It's a place of rich history and good drinks and cold beer and a long polished mahogany bar. Some days it smells like piss. "I'm going home to the other side." That's a strange statement, but you hear it all the time at the Kentucky Club.

1 edition

Rosey of Robbinsdale reviewed Everything begins and ends at the Kentucky Club by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Review of 'Everything begins and ends at the Kentucky Club' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I've been picking up award winning books and this one made the "to read" list. So I start reading it and the very first story is quite gay. I thought, "Oh crap, no wonder it's an award winner." I have it in my head that book, art and movie awards have a gay bias. That may be true, but in this case, there really is good writing.

I kept reading.

Turns out, Benjamin Alire Saenz is a good writer. The short stories within this book may have breached topics I'm not so interested in reading about, but the style, plot and dialogue kept me interested. I wanted to find out what happens next.

You've got a good book when you are anxious to find out what happens next in the story.