Valleyesque: Stories

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 13 June 2022
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc

Fernando A. Flores is a master storyteller who has captured the essence of the border with his unique and captivating stories. His immersive, uncanny borderland is a world where the sun rises and sets at the same time, where conniving possums take over an entire town and rewrite its history, and where the fantastical and hyperreal coexist in a dance of dexterous, often hilarious flair.

In "Valleyesque," Flores takes readers on a journey through the border, exploring its history, imagination, danger, contradiction, and redemption. The stories in this collection swing between satire and surrealism, grief and joy, and boundary- and border-pushing.

One of the standout stories in "Valleyesque" is "A Dying Frédéric Chopin Stumbles Through Ciudad Juárez." In this tale, a dying Frédéric Chopin stumbles through Ciudad Juárez in the aftermath of his mother's death, attempting to recover his beloved piano that was seized at the border. Along the way, he encounters a series of strange and surreal characters, including a muralist who is taken on a psychedelic journey by an airbrushed Emiliano Zapata T-shirt.

Another notable story is "A Woman Enveloped by a Used-Clothing Warehouse with a Life of Its Own." In this story, a woman is engulfed by a used-clothing warehouse with a life of its own, and she must navigate its strange and mysterious inhabitants to find her way out. The warehouse is filled with strange objects and creatures, and the woman must use her wits to survive.

"Valleyesque" also features two separate stories in which queso dip and musical rhythms are bottled up and sold for mass consumption. In "Queso Dip," a group of friends discovers a secret recipe for queso dip that is so delicious that they decide to sell it to a local restaurant. However, their plan goes awry when they are caught in the middle of a drug cartel shootout.

In "Musical Rhythms," a group of musicians discovers a strange rhythm that they believe can change the world. They decide to bottle it up and sell it to a music producer, but their plan goes awry when they are caught in the middle of a political scandal.

The final tale in "Valleyesque" is "The Adventures of a Young Lee Harvey Oswald as He Starts a Music Career in Texas." In this story, Flores pieces together the adventures of a young Lee Harvey Oswald as he starts a music career in Texas. The story is filled with satire and surrealism, as Oswald encounters a series of strange and surreal characters, including a used-clothing warehouse with a life of its own and a grieving mother who chronicles the demise of a town decimated by violence.

Throughout "Valleyesque," Flores brings his vision of the border to life-and beyond. His visceral imagination and unique storytelling style make this collection a cult classic, and it is sure to resonate with readers who are interested in the complexities of the border region.

Weight: 300g
Dimension: 198 x 129 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780374604134