‘The Town of Babylon’ by Alejandro Varela

I don’t hate this town. I’m uneasy in it.

In ‘The Town of Babylon’ by Alejandro Varela, Andrés returns to the town where he grew up—to help his parents, to avoid his husband, who has cheated on him.

The story alternates between the present, told from Andrés’s point of view, and the past, told from the perspective of Andrés himself and various people who were important to Andrés/Andy when he was growing up.

At the heart of the book are issues of sexuality, race, and class. And the language is beautiful!

CW: homophobia, racism, hate crime, mental illness, addiction recovery, sexual assault