Benny Ramírez and the Nearly Departed
by José Pablo Iriarte
Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted April 3, 2025
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José Pablo Iriarte's debut novel is a finalist for the Andre Norton Award, to be presented at the same time as the Nebulas in June, and the British Science Fiction Association in the Younger Reader category, winners of which will be announced at Eastercon in a few weeks. While it deserves the recognition I'm not sure if fits either. It is fantasy, not science fiction, and Middle Grade rather than Young Adult, which is what the Norton usually recognizes. In either case, it is very good and recommended. It is written in first-person (except for the prologue) by 12-year-old Benny Ramírez, whose sister Cristina is a year older, and brother Manny a year or two younger.
Other than the prologue, the story begins with Benny waking in the family car, at the tail end of a four day road trip from their former home in Los Angeles, arriving at the palatial home they have inherited from his paternal grandfather, Ignacio Ramírez, a famous musician. Benny had seen his abuelo only a few times, and didn't have many strong memories, but he immediately recognized him when he saw his ghost in his bedroom in the new house. The prologue was about Ignacio's death by heart attack, followed by a trip down a tunnel of light, only to be denied entrance to what he knew was a glorious party on the other side of the door. No, he wasn't allowed, due to some unfinished business in life. But what could that be? Ignacio was a superstar, rich and famous, world-renowned, the recipient of gold records and other accolades. He has until New Years Eve, four months, to prove he is worthy to enter the afterlife.
The reason Benny did not know his abuelo well is he had been estranged from his family for years, having divorced before Benny was born. Ignacio had always been so busy recording, performing, and touring, as well as taking advantage of his fame to endorse many products and act in commercials. Because music and being a celebrity was the most important thing to him, he is sure what he needs to do is make sure Benny (the only one who can see and hear him) becomes a famous musician himself. However, it is not anything Benny had ever thought of before. He had never played an instrument in his life, but now he has his abuelo's trumpet. Benny's father had been a television producer, but Benny suspects he had been fired, thus the move to Miami. Both of his parents have new jobs at the school the Ramírez siblings will attend, a performing arts academy. Cristina is a dancer, Manny hopeful of being an actor. When Benny is asked by a school official what his talent is, Manny butts in and says he is a great trumpet player. How can Benny live up to that, and up to the hopes of his abuelo?
The first few times he proved he couldn't play the trumpet, Benny brushed it off as nervousness, anxiety of a new school, missing old friends. Ignacio teaches him as much as he can, even going so far as inhabiting Benny's body and playing the trumpet himself, which puts even more strain on Benny to live up to that on his own. Everyone starts to suspect Benny is going a little bit crazy, since he is seen and heard talking to thin air on several occasions. One of the few friends Benny makes is Andrea, a hopeful playwright, mostly of spooky ghost stories and other supernatural happenings. Benny is disappointed Andrea cannot see Ignacio, or hear him either, although she is open to the idea of ghosts. Unfortunately, Ignacio insists Benny should not worry about friends, he must practice, practice, practice, because playing the trumpet is the most important thing, the thing that will get him into the afterlife. Benny gets angry at his abuelo, doing and saying things that other people think are directed at them, which drives a wedge between him and his family, and with Andrea. He wants to please his abuelo, and it is apparent his trumpet playing is improving, but will he ever be good enough to make the band, or satisfy his abuelo?
Benny is not the only one struggling. Cristina has to face the fact she may not be as good a dancer as she thought, relegated to a very small part in a school recital. Quite a few people begin to think Manny is just as crazy as his brother, due to his insistence on staying in character all the time, method acting style. Very weird when his part in the upcoming play is as the Cheshire Cat. Benny's concentration on the trumpet made him oblivious to that for a while, but a family counseling session makes him realize he needs to be more aware of things beyond his own problems. It is also when he learns his father had not been fired, but quit his lucrative producer gigs because he feared becoming too much like his father, too busy to spend time with his family. Then when his abuela Gloria comes for a visit, Benny's interest in cooking is rekindled. Could he possibly incorporate that interest into a career in the culinary arts? To pursue that requires the school to reconsider their previous decision to eliminate the home economics curriculum.
I won't tell you how all the story elements are resolved, only recommend you read to find out for yourself. I am way beyond the focus demographic, but I loved it. It reminded me of books I read at Benny's age, nothing that matched in either theme or plot, but just that time in life where you are trying to figure out your place in the world at large, or just within your family, or at your school. Benny never gave details about his life in LA, how many friends he had, what his hopes and dreams had been, but I got the impression he had been mostly an introvert, which is something I can identify with. He has a big heart though, and he realizes it is just as important for him to pay attention to everyone and everything else around him, to offer support and praise as needed, or just a sympathetic shoulder to lean on. I also won't tell you if Ignacio made it to the afterlife, but he did learn important lessons from his nieto, things he will never forget, whatever his fate.
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