The Sons of El Rey (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781668032787)

One of the Today Show's Most Anticipated Books of 2024

A timeless, epic novel about a family of luchadores contending with forbidden love and secrets in Mexico City, Los Angeles, and beyond.

Ernesto Vega has lived many lives, from pig farmer to construction worker to famed luchador El Rey Coyote, yet he has always worn a mask. He was discovered by a local lucha libre trainer at a time when luchadores--Mexican wrestlers donning flamboyant masks and capes--were treated as daredevils or rock stars. Ernesto found fame, rapidly gaining name rec-ognition across Mexico, but at great expense, nearly costing him his marriage to his wife Elena.

Years later, in East Los Angeles, his son, Freddy Vega, is struggling to save his father's gym while Freddy's own son, Julian, is searching for professional and romantic fulfillment as a Mexican American gay man refusing to be defined by stereotypes.

With alternating perspectives, Ernesto and Elena take you from the ranches of Michoac疣 to the makeshift colonias of Mexico City. Freddy describes life in the suburban streets of 1980s Los Angeles and the community their family built, as Julian descends deep into our present-day culture of hook-up apps, lucha burlesque shows, and the dark underbelly of West Hollywood. The Sons of El Rey is an intimate portrait of a family wading against time and legacy, yet always choosing the fight.

Author: Alex Espinoza
ISBN-10: 1668032783
ISBN-13: 9781668032787
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Language: English
Published: 06/11/2024
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.36lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.07d

Review Citation(s):
Booklist 04/15/2024 pg. 17
Publishers Weekly 04/29/2024