Mr. Gonzalez’s third book was written in the time of pandemic but the memories it pulls predate recent experience. It is a travelogue of sorts, a middle age review of a life well lived as a wanderer, negotiator and observer of the human character. Many of these stories are replete with contemplations that are rational and at times, deeply philosophical. This level of introspection is what makes the book quite a treat. ‘One Way Ticket’ is organized in a series of brief first person essays and fictional stories. The topics range from encounters with former professors to re-discovered, now portly classmates and the quirks of former lovers. What makes the narrative remarkable is the author’s willingness to lay bare deeper topics far beyond the casual discussion. In the fictional works, there is some juxtaposition of the various characters’ points of view which offers the reader with a new angle of an old, familiar story. The travels of Mr. Gonzalez are far reaching. From Japan, France, India and Latin America, the author manages to create a portrait of these foreign lands and the people that inhabit them. The characters reveal their unique perspectives and regional proclivities in an often humorous and very human way. Unless the reader is a million mile frequent flier, there are many locations and tales which will be entirely new. For instance, the universal truth of a statue of a dog at a train station in Japan or the bizarre encounter with a phantom ticket taker of a Russian museum. My advice is to read the book and do it thoughtfully over a period of days. There is more than enough material to entertain and racing from cover to cover does both the reader and author a disservice. It clearly took the author decades to gather the experiences and they should be savored like a long meal at the end of the week. There are many solid fictional pieces in the book that clearly draw from the author’s extensive journeys and gifted imagination. All in all, this is an excellent work for new and old proponents of this fine Mexican author.

One way ticket by Aniceto González is a beautiful mélange of journeys’, experiences and a spiritual quest to explore what makes us Humans. It is a journey that takes the reader to explore the existential paradox that effects each one of us, the here and the now that we experience juxtaposed against the past that resides in our subconscious and takes us through the lifetimes that we spend on the Earth trying to find meaning to Life itself. As he travels to places across the globe, he explores the spirit of the one universal truth that drives humanity irrespective of race, color or position in society. It is truly an enchanting journey that he takes us along, non-linear and spread over lifetime and continents. Embedded within the experiences that he shares are questions that every reader can relate to and open his mind to the possibilities of the mind and spirit. He is candid and truthful which makes it endearing and relatable to every thinking man. His Journey is not his alone, but that he shares with people from across the Globe. It captures his eternal spirit and curiosity and ability to smell the colors and see the flavors of the Eternal spirit that drives all of us.