Three brothers, the youngest of whom narrates, grow up in upstate New York with a Puerto Rican father and a white mother who love them fiercely and also hurt them. The boys run wild, fight, steal and mimic each other, and they swing between joy and violence in a household where money is short. Justin Torres tells the story in short, poetic chapters, and as the youngest begins to understand that he is different from his brothers, the book follows his drift into a solitary life.
It's a brief and intense novel for readers who like lyrical, compressed fiction about childhood, family and class. It will appeal to anyone interested in coming-of-age stories from unfamiliar perspectives.
Inward-looking and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2011
- Language
- EN
