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intoblossom's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Child abuse, Violence, and Homophobia
Moderate: Death of parent and Racism
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Brickmakers is a gritty retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in rural Argentina that circles the deaths of two opposing brickmakers' sons - Marciano Miranda and Pájaro Tamai. It examines the circumstances of their families' feud, cycling the reader through a refracted, episodic retelling of the lives and losses that drove them to their deaths in the dust beneath a Ferris wheel. This is a tight narrative (under 200 pages) that leans heavily on character dialogue, but despite its short page count, its non-linear timeline makes it a challenging story to navigate at times. We see not only Marciano and Pájaro's memories, but also those of their parents, and it's this choice to linger between a more limited third-person narration (which would be expected of death-bed flashbacks) and an omniscient third-person narration that creates additional narrative complexity. I can appreciate that it calls back to its theatrical inspiration (there are so many moments that feel like they are meant to be seen on the stage), though it did pull me out of the story occasionally.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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 against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
this was lovely and easy to read, although I kind of wish it was longer so you could get to know the characters a bit better
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Murder, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
srm's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
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
dark
mysterious
tense
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Death of parent
dianahincureads's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
- 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
Marciano Miranda and Pájaro Tamai are dying in an amusement park under a foreboding white sky. Starting with its climax, the novel retraces their families’ history and the moments that led to the tragedy. Past and present intertwine, memories and the cruel finality of death.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
internationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
- 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
The blurb says too much. Would be a better reading experience knowing less going into it.
Content Warnings
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
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