The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez: A Novel

Rudy Ruiz

Sep 2020 · Blackstone Publishing · Narrated by Johnny Rey Diaz

About this audiobook

In the 1950s, tensions remain high in the border town of La Frontera. Penny loafers and sneakers clash with boots and huaraches. Bowling shirts and leather jackets compete with guayaberas. Convertibles fend with motorcycles. Yet amidst the discord, young love blooms at first sight between Fulgencio Ramirez, the son of impoverished immigrants, and Carolina Mendelssohn, the local pharmacist’s daughter. But as they’ll soon find out, their bonds will be undone by a force more powerful than they could have known.

Thirty years after their first fateful encounter, Fulgencio Ramirez, RPh, is conducting his daily ritual of reading the local obituaries in his cramped pharmacy office. After nearly a quarter of a century of waiting, Fulgencio sees the news he’s been hoping for: his nemesis, the husband of Carolina Mendelssohn, has died.

A work of magical realism, The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez weaves together the past and present as Fulgencio strives to succeed in America, break a mystical family curse, and win back Carolina’s love after their doomed youthful romance. Through enchanting language and meditations about the porous nature of borders—cultural, geographic, and otherworldly—The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez offers a vision of how the past has divided us, and how the future could unite us.

Ratings and reviews

Fulgencio Ramirez falls in love at first sight with Carolina Mendelssohn, daughter of the local pharmacist. The story is set in La Frontera, a Texan border town during the 1950s. Fulgencia orients his whole life to impressing Carolina. He works tirelessly in her father's pharmacy; he strives academically and in sports. Just as the young couple seem to have a bright future together, Fulgencia torpedoes the relationship because of his toxic masculinity and a centuries old family curse. Decades later he peruses the local obituaries for the death announcement of Carolina's husband. When the day finally comes, Fulgencia attempts to win back Carolina. He must vanquish the family curse (la maldicion), and his own foolish, jealous tendencies. The Resurrection of Fulgencia Ramirez is a magical, dramatic, romantic, vivid story which weaves together the past and the present. The writing is lush, lyrical and has a folkloric feel. The inclusion of traditional Mexican boleros was lovely. The characters grow in complexity as they weather the consequences of life, time, and their own poor decisions. Many of the characters are ghosts, which added an interesting supernatural dimension to the story and to Fulgencio's support system. I particularly liked Father William. The pacing was a slow burn for the first two thirds, but rapidly accelerated in the last third, culminating in an ending that could be called over-the-top. I was saddened that little Holly, whose role was so tragic and pivotal to the plot, was not included in the grand ending. The narrator, Johnny Rey Diaz, has the perfect accent and command of both English and Spanish, but could have used more passion in his voice, at times. Overall, a beautiful, tragic and joyful story that explores the important themes of racism, misogyny, social class, family, redemption and intergenerational trauma. In reading it, we realize that racism, poverty, misogyny and prejudice are the true maldiciones of our world. Thank you to @booksforwardpr and @netgalley for a digital audiobook.

About the author

Rudy Ruiz is an award-winning author. His novel, The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez, received two Gold Medals at the 2021 International Latino Book Awards. It was also a finalist for the Western Writers of America Silver Spur Award for Best Contemporary Novel. His short-story collection Seven for the Revolution captured four International Latino Book Awards, including the Mariposa Prize for Best First Book. In 2017, he garnered the Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction. A bilingual native of the US-Mexico border, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Harvard and now resides in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife and children. Visit his website at RudyRuiz.com.

Johnny Rey Diaz is an award-winning, bilingual, Los Angeles-based actor, filmmaker, and host. Born and raised in Arizona, Johnny is the son of Mexican and Colombian immigrant parents, and a proud first-generation American. He is currently a series regular on Amazon's newest single-cam comedy, Primo, produced by Michael Schur, producer of The Office and cocreator of Parks & Rec and Brooklyn 99. He can also be seen recurring on Pam & Tommy (Hulu) and Grey's Anatomy (ABC). His voice-over work includes commercials, video games, scripted podcasts, and audiobooks, most notably the New York Times bestseller Rain of Gold. He is also an on-camera host for the Tennis Channel.