The House of Broken Angels

The House of Broken Angels (2018) is work of contemporary literary fiction by Luis Alberto Urrea. The book was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Urrea has received a number of awards for his novels and non-fiction, including a Lannan Literary Award, an Edgar Award, and a Pulitzer Prize for his book The Devil’s Highway.

Plot Summary

The House of Broken Angels takes place in San Diego over the course of two days and spans seven decades of memories. It follows the de la Cruz family, particularly patriarch Big Angel and his siblings, as they attend their mother’s funeral and Big Angel’s final birthday party. As the two events unfold, the characters reflect on their family history, personal struggles, and philosophies on life.

The novel begins with Big Angel waking up late on the morning of his mother’s funeral. Big Angel is terminally ill and must be cared for by his daughter, Minnie, and wife, Perla. Big Angel reflects on his love for his wife and his coming death as the family drives in dense traffic to the funeral parlor.

At the funeral, complex family dynamics unfold. Big Angel’s sister MaryLú and her sister-in-law Paz have an ongoing feud. El Yndio, Perla’s eldest son by her first husband, is living in exile because he is gay. He drives by but does not attend the gathering. Little Angel, the half-white younger brother of Big Angel, arrives from Seattle and feels both bitter and lonely among his family members, who often forget to include him. Little Angel doesn’t recognize many of his relatives or his former hometown after so many years away. At the cemetery, Minnie and Perla mourn the death of Braulio, Perla’s second-eldest son, who was shot by a gang member years before and is buried nearby.

During an interlude that night, Big Angel recalls the story of crossing the border into America to make a new life. He reflects on the brutality and love of his father, Don Segundo, who left the family to be with a white woman in Tijuana. He feels pleasure at the memory of meeting Perla as a teenager, and horror at his life aboard his abusive uncle’s fishing boat in Mazatlán. He flashes through the history of his family and their early years in San Diego before returning to bed in the early morning hours.

The next day, arrangements begin for Big Angel’s final birthday party. The family’s typical chaos ensues, with moments of pain and moments of beauty. Minnie hires a mariachi band to surprise her father. Little Angel discovers a Lego scale model of San Diego that Big Angel and the mentally disabled neighbor Ookie built together in the shed. Little Angel flirts with Perla’s sister La Gloriosa. Lalo, Big Angel’s youngest son, gets involved in a gang fight over Braulio’s death involving a .22 pistol. The party is interrupted by the gunman returning to shoot Lalo, and Big Angel and the returned Yndio defend Lalo and scare the gunman away. The party ends with Little Angel and Big Angel sharing memories and past hurts. Eventually the entire family gets in Big Angel’s bed, including Yndio, who finally feels accepted by Big Angel. 

The novel ends with a short coda that chronicles Big Angel’s death a week after the party. He has an extravagant funeral, and his Jesuit priest, Dave, delivers a meaningful eulogy. The characters grieve Big Angel, reflect on his significance, and find peace in their own new roles and romances. The book ends with the final moments of Big Angel’s life, when Little Angel invites him to the beach in La Jolla, where he has never been.