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intoblossom's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Child abuse, Violence, and Homophobia
Moderate: Death of parent and Racism
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Most unsettling in this retelling is the complete absence of one of our love interests until the final 40-50 pages. We suspect from the start that the inciting incident is related to a potential love affair between Pájaro and Marciano's younger brother, Ángelito, but Ángelito is only tangentially present in a handful of scenes and is only shown through the perspectives of Marciano or Pájaro. In reading other reviews, I would note that readers should not expect an on-page queer romance between these two - their romance is largely off-page, aside from a few frenetic encounters - and is not centered in the narrative. In decentering the romance, Almada emphasizes that the real crux of the story is the generational trauma of toxic masculinity and patriarchal traditions that nurture homophobia, physical and sexual abuse, addiction and more.
This is a tough story to read, and the lack of chapter headings in the English translation of the e-book added to the numerous challenges of the narrative, but it's a story that is richer for its complexity, and I look forward to reading more from Almada.
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, and Outing
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Drug use
uhm_kai's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Murder, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
srm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Homophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Grief, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
treeme's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Death of parent
dianahincureads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Selva Almada masterfully shows the catastrophic consequences toxic masculinity has on men, especially those in the making, little boys that mirror their fathers. Becoming a man through cruelty and disruption, through the brutal suppression of one’s feelings (and, consequently, one’s humanity), through heterosexuality. Being unsuccessful fitting this narrow and toxic definition leads to conflict. Marciano and Pájaro are trapped, shaped by their parents’ mistakes and environment. They pay for it with their lives.
The women in this novel are not depicted as victims. They are strong and resourceful. However, they have incorporated all sorts of survival mechanisms to avoid triggering the men in their lives (such as “unobtrusively, so as not to hurt his pride, Celina had begun to take charge of the brickworks”).
Almada’s writing is incredibly effective. Accurate in its simplicity, every word reverberates with meaning. The author constructs the portrait of a rural community with two rival families (better said, the rivalry of the two fathers). The result is a realistic LGBTQ+ Romeo and Juliet, a mixture of trauma and faith.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
internationalreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Murder, Outing, Sexual content, and Violence