Hotel Juarez

Misconceptions about people, the responsibility of the artist and conflicts about identity pepper these stories that take place in the U.S. and abroad. In "Mais, Je Suis Chicano," a Mexican American living in Paris identifies himself as Chicano, rather than American. "It's not my fault I was born on the U.S. side of the border," he tells a French Moroccan woman when she discovers that he really is American, a word she says "as if it could be replaced with murderer or child molester." Many of the stories are very short and contain images that flash in the reader's mind, loop back and connect to earlier ones. Other stories are longer, like rooms, into which Chacn invites the reader to enter, look around and hang out. And some are more traditional. But whether short or long, conventional or experimental, the people in these pieces confront issues of imagination and self. In "Sabado Gigante," a young boy who is "as big as a gorilla" must face his best friend's disappointment that--in spite of his size--he's a terrible athlete, and even more confounding, he prefers playing dolls to baseball. Whether in Paris or Ciudad Juarez, Chacon reveals his characters at their most vulnerable in these powerful and rewarding stories, anti-stories and loops.