Chins slightly raised. Eyes locking on eyes.
The rest hardly matters: an afternoon of scalding sun, a cloudy night, the middle of a dance hall, the soccer field in the pink evening light, some street in the center of town.
Meanwhile, the music is always the same: the panting, the sound of fists, the cracking of knuckles before they land the first blow, the hiss of saliva, the occasional groan when a jab lands right in the liver, and the guys egging them on, always slightly hushed so as not to break the spell, and now and then a rapturous cry because their fight is beautiful to see.
―
A knife is almost like a continuation of your arm; you’d feel the other man’s life slipping out through the wound, the enemy blood gushing up the handle and wetting your clenched fist.
― Brickmakers
CBR15Bingo: South America
Two boys are born a day apart and grow up together, peering at one another over fences, but forbidden from spending time together. The feud between their fathers began when they were babies, and continued over the years, flaring up over perceived insults and cruel pranks.
As young children, Pájaro and Marciano become friends, childhood granting them the privilege to remain oblivious to their fathers’ mutual hatred. But childhood friendships fade, and the animosity between their families poisons the two boys against one another. As young men, they run around town with their own friend groups, avoiding each other when girls or drinks are more appealing. But, more often than not, they seek out the other when a fist fight is the only way they know how to burn off some of the rage they’ve carried on their backs since they were kids.
This story is similar to Romeo and Juliet in that the young lovers both come from warring families. But the love story is minuscule compared to the history of the boy’s parents, and how the two families came to live next door to each other, each running their own small brick making business.
This is not the book I wanted, but it is heartbreaking and tender in its own way. By the end of the book, I was just as in love with Celina and Estela’s stories as I was with Pájaro and Marciano’s. The love story is not straightforward, and I appreciate that even though I knew how the story would end, it still managed to surprise me.
Content warnings for child abuse and animal abuse.