Review by Booklist Review
After his father's death and the descent of his brother, Fili, into depression, things are finally looking up for Hector and his family. He has won first place in his school's essay contest, and even more exciting, his now-recovered brother plans to purchase a new house for his entire family to move out of the projects. Tragedy strikes when Fili is killed by Joey, a classmate of Hector's who believes that Fili disrespected Joey's brother by stealing his girlfriend. In retaliation, Hector runs over Joey's brother, crippling him. Both boys, still minors, are sentenced to mandatory attendance at Furman Academy, a military-style school near San Antonio. Hector vows that Joey will pay for his crime, one way or another. Stork returns to his 2006 novel, Behind the Eyes, and reenvisions it to help young people today "know about the courage of love in a world where hatred is so pervasive." He absolutely succeeds by focusing on Hector's choice between embracing revenge and granting forgiveness to move on with his life. Intense, at times brutal, but so vital for today's polarized society, this book will hopefully encourage readers to have compassion for others, even those with whom they vehemently disagree.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Throughout Stork's (Illegal) unflinching, fully fleshed out novel centering a 16-year-old chess aficionado turned reformatory school student, his introspective Mexican American protagonist wrestles with an unimaginable question: "How could he live with himself knowing that he let his brother die?" The journey to find an answer forms the bulk of the narrative, examining the weight of guilt, the drive for revenge, and toxic masculinity in fine-point detail. Set in El Paso, Tex., and told in limited third-person perspective, Stork's narrative introduces readers, before tragedy strikes, to Hector Robles. Hector aspires to achieve grandmaster status before his 18th birthday and to eventually get his family out of public housing. But when classmate Joey zeroes in on Hector for targeted harassment and violence, which escalates to a brutal, tragic confrontation between their families, Hector must decide whether his need for revenge outweighs his desire to heal. From the novel's first chapter, Stork transmits the emotions "going at it bare-fisted in the boxing ring inside head" with sensitivity and finesse, laying bare Hector's complex, dynamic feelings right up until the novel's cathartic end. Ages 12--up. Agent: Faye Bender, the Book Group. (May)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Sixteen-year-old Hector confronts notions of masculinity, violence, and revenge. Mexican American Hector lives a quiet yet fulfilling life in El Paso, Texas. He's the star of his high school's chess team; enjoys spending free time with his best friend, Azi; and just won an essay contest about the pursuit of happiness. But his circumstances begin to shift when Joey, the younger brother of a local gang member and drug dealer, singles Hector out with threats and an act of disturbing violence. Joey's dangerous fixation on Hector--in addition to a volatile situation involving an ex-girlfriend of Joey's brother--eventually culminates in a violent collision that costs Hector tremendously. The latter two-thirds of the novel focus on Hector's and Joey's time at a reformatory school in San Antonio that they're both mandated to attend. There, Hector grapples with his chaotic mental state as he fantasizes about enacting revenge on those who wronged him and struggles to adapt to new challenges. Hector is an expertly crafted protagonist, roiling with guilt, grief, and a thirst for violence that threatens to consume him if he doesn't shift his perspective. What starts as a quiet drama quickly escalates to a potent, fiery story while remaining a deep meditation about cycles of violence. A staggering and fearless book. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
