Selva Almada doesn't miss. In Brickmakers, translated by Annie McDermott, she writes about two rival families who hold a deep-seated grudge against each other: the book begins with Pájaro and Marciano, two sons of the two fathers, both lying in the mud after a fair, bleeding out due to their wounds.
If you can, avoid reading the blurb on the back of this one, as I personally think it gives too much away. What you need to know is that this is a book about toxic masculinity, the way violence and abuse are handed down from fathers to sons, about homoeroticism, queerness, and homophobia, and about a harsh kind of rural life that takes a tough toll on the people living it.
It is a fast-moving novel that jumps around in time. It was hard to put down as I carried it through Ushuaia, on some of my worst and best days. It's harsh, dark, and sad, and you'll want to read it in one vivid sitting. Almada's writing continues to be superb.
Content warnings for violence, domestic emotional/psychological/physical abuse, animal cruelty and death, homophobia.
