BOOK

El Paso Inside & Out Magazine
Issue 13, Summer 2006
Read
By Mary Johnson

Brides and Sinners in El Chuco
By Christine Granados

Standing in line at the grocery store, you glance to your left, to the woman behind you. She gives you a courteous smile, and you swing your gaze to the right, to the woman too engrossed in juggling her coupons to notice your glance. Biding your time until your turn down the conveyor belt, you begin to wonder what these women are like. Where do they live? What are their families like? What do they do? Are they just like you?

If you’ve ever craved a sneak peek into the lives of perfect strangers, you’ve got your chance. Christine Granados, a native El Pasoan born in the barrio, has created a unique collection of short stories that are both raw and startling. Set in El Paso—or as it is better known to its Mexican American residents, El Chuco—these are stories of women you know, women you pass on the street. These are stories of women who are defined in part by the harsh realities and rich cultural heritage of life in the Borderland. Filled with irony, each tale presents itself with brutal honesty and uncensored emotion. Although their problems might never be solved, the characters make you think.

With the knowledge of local lingo and locales, Granados fills each tale with snippets of the familiar. From Forti’s Mexican Restaurant to swamp coolers to the oppressive desert heat, Granados leaves the reader in a zone of comfort and intimacy, as if she were telling the secrets of your friends, family or neighbors. It is an all at once addictive and painful read, opening the eyes like a powerful slap to the face.

to read more subscribe to El Paso Inside & Out Magazine ››