There's an insatiable curiosity in Villarreal's Magical/Realism where every detail, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is mined deeper and deeper until an universal truth comws out. The topics in this collection range from Nirvana to Game of Thrones to Selena and I never once felt bored or disengaged. Villarreal's a chameleon, shape shifting throughout the book as a young Mexican immigrant, a former wife, a troubled teen, and an academic powerhouse. Yet it is the big heart approach to her subjects, be it herself or Kurt Cobain, the Witcher, her father, or Jon Snow, that makes the work critical and compelling. A great read!