The Complete History of New Mexico: Stories

By Kevin McIlvoy

Book Overview

"Compelling and complex . . . Strange and wonderful."
--The New York Times Book Review, in praise of McIlvoy's previous fiction

I am going to write about the state of New Mexico and put in some maps and stuff from the encyclopedia. My theme is the Don Juan Onate trail and the Jornada Del Muerto. But I might write some other important things which as it turns out my stepmother got angry about and said she wouldn't type this until my Dad said "Dammit now it is history" and told her maybe there weren't commas in those days.

"The Complete History of New Mexico" is no ordinary research paper, and this is no ordinary collection of short stories. Eleven-year-old Chum's "history" unfolds over three distinctive and increasingly disturbing sections. He writes that "Coronado explored around and found Santa Fe in 1610"; that "William Becknell was tracking wagons over everyplace in 1821"; and that every day his best friend, Daniel, is afraid to go home.

Kevin McIlvoy intersperses the title novella with equally distinctive stories set in New Mexico. Laura, a plain, overweight nurse, encounters a terrified young man on his way to the Vietnam War and takes matters into her own hands. Zach spends time with his "white-trash" relatives and finds love's terrible and true face.

The Complete History of New Mexico is a stunningly original collection that will further McIlvoy's growing reputation.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1555974139
• ISBN13: 9781555974138
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Graywolf Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.5" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Darkness Visible

I have been haunted by "The Complete History of New Mexico" for over two decades. The story is not for cowards, not that it's lurid, but it is terrifyingly funny. Shakespeare is clever and amusing; Milton and Swift are indignant; Melville and Faulkner are provocative. But these stories marry viciousness and tenderness in ways I have not read before. No one who has heard of "Chum" can forget his story. Not "weird" or "wonderful," this collection is a "complete," concise, cohesive, horrifying, representation of North American experience.

A Flat Out Amazing Book

This collection features the wildest, weirdest stories you'll find anywhere. They're not strange for the sake of being strange; they're genuinely original. Kevin McIlvoy is one of a kind, and this has to be one of the best books of the year.

Magical Prose

The stories in this book are truly wonderful. A mix, like New Mexico itself, of beautiful striking wisdom and subtle mystery. I received this book as a gift and I am grateful to the person that gave it to me as well as to the author, Kevin McIlvoy, for sharing his gift. As I read each story, the words came off the page like music, a gentle cadence in the words that synchronized with the landscape or characters. The stories, like refrains from a song, come back into my head. If you love beautiful, lyrical and solid prose with characters that are genuine with real heart and souls experiencing joy, sadness and the beauty of life and land, then you should read this book.