Blood in the Cut by Alejandro Nodarse
Flatiron Books (June 2024)
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand
Ignacio “Iggy” Guerra returns home, fresh off a three-year stint in prison, to find nothing but turmoil. His mother has passed away in a tragic accident. His father is angry with Iggy for the mistakes that sent him to prison. His family’s business is struggling, and his neighborhood is being reshaped through a series of unwanted changes.
Iggy, just 23, is standing at a crossroads, and everywhere he turns, there’s another bit of trouble waiting, idling, hoping for the chance to gun the engines and run him down.
Alejandro Nodarse introduces a wide variety of elements in his debut novel, attempting to show us all the glitz and all the shadows of Miami. It’s not an easy task, juggling rival butcher shops and street racing and big-game hunting and gentrification, but Nodarse displays a deft touch in bringing this myriad of storylines together.
The strength of the story is its characters. In particular, the relationship between Iggy and his father, Armando, feels complicated and real. Armando is angry with his son over his misdeeds, but falls back on a few shady moves of his own while trying to keep the family business afloat. Orin, the ruthless puppet master behind many of Iggy’s problems, walks a thin line somewhere between movie gangster and cartoon supervillain, but never fails to be compelling and terrifying.
There are examples of beautiful writing here, and several places where you can see Nodarse is still working to find his voice. Somehow it all comes together in a taut, bloody, rewarding read. Nodarse shows serious promise for the future.
