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Kicking the Sky
It was 1977 when a shoeshine boy, Emanuel Jaques, was brutally murdered in Toronto. In the aftermath of the crime, twelve-year-old Antonio Rebelo explores his neighborhood's dark garages and labyrinthine back alleys along with his rapscallion friends. As the media unravels the truth behind the Shoeshine Boy murder, Antonio sees his immigrant family--and his Portuguese neighborhood--with new eyes, becoming aware of the frightening reality that no one is really taking care of him. So intent are his parents and his neighbors on keeping the old traditions alive that they act as if they still live in a small village, not in a big city that puts their kids in the kind of danger they would not dare imagine.Antonio learns about bravery and cowardice, life and death, and the heart's capacity for love--and for cruelty--in this stunning novel.
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 2013
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February 3, 2023
“Toronto the Good”? … I don’t think so!
There is no question that Anthony De Sa’s novel KICKING THE SKY must be characterized as a “coming of age” story but, a potential reader imagining they might encounter elements of joy, humour, or happiness had better think again. KICKING THE SKY is dark, brooding, gritty, violent, bitter, joyless and unrelentingly morose. On the other hand, perhaps “loss of innocence” is a better label for this novel than “coming of age”.
De Sa sets his tale in the 1970s aftermath of the real-life homosexual child murder of Emmanuel Jacques in the sleazy atmosphere of Toronto’s Yonge Street strip clubs and body rub parlours. Antonio Rebelo is a young tween, unsure of his own sexuality (indeed, desperately afraid of the fact that he believes himself to be gay), growing up in a blue collar neighbourhood filled with Portuguese immigrants enslaved to the dictates of the local Roman Catholic Church and their imported cultural norms. And, in a nutshell, there you have it. KICKING THE SKY is a segment of Antonio’s story – his encounters with his ex-pat American aunt who (gasp!) married a black man; his sharing of secrets with his sister; the shame of the growing realization of his sexual attraction to a local homosexual pimp; his disgust at the self-delusion of the worshippers in the local Roman Catholic parish and the obvious evil of its larcenous pastor; his typical boyhood belief in the eternal value of blood-brother bonding; the additional fear of his sexual nature caused by the multiple occurrences of gay-bashing and faggot-hating in the local aftermath of Emmanuel Jacques’ murder; and much, much more.
Truth be told, I can’t say that I enjoyed KICKING THE SKY very much but it was a short enough read that its darkness never really tempted me to set it aside. That said, I turned the last page with a deep breath and realized that at least I could honestly say that I was glad to have read it. I can’t recommend it with anything other than a cautionary note that every reader will have to judge their own reaction for themselves.
Paul Weiss
There is no question that Anthony De Sa’s novel KICKING THE SKY must be characterized as a “coming of age” story but, a potential reader imagining they might encounter elements of joy, humour, or happiness had better think again. KICKING THE SKY is dark, brooding, gritty, violent, bitter, joyless and unrelentingly morose. On the other hand, perhaps “loss of innocence” is a better label for this novel than “coming of age”.
De Sa sets his tale in the 1970s aftermath of the real-life homosexual child murder of Emmanuel Jacques in the sleazy atmosphere of Toronto’s Yonge Street strip clubs and body rub parlours. Antonio Rebelo is a young tween, unsure of his own sexuality (indeed, desperately afraid of the fact that he believes himself to be gay), growing up in a blue collar neighbourhood filled with Portuguese immigrants enslaved to the dictates of the local Roman Catholic Church and their imported cultural norms. And, in a nutshell, there you have it. KICKING THE SKY is a segment of Antonio’s story – his encounters with his ex-pat American aunt who (gasp!) married a black man; his sharing of secrets with his sister; the shame of the growing realization of his sexual attraction to a local homosexual pimp; his disgust at the self-delusion of the worshippers in the local Roman Catholic parish and the obvious evil of its larcenous pastor; his typical boyhood belief in the eternal value of blood-brother bonding; the additional fear of his sexual nature caused by the multiple occurrences of gay-bashing and faggot-hating in the local aftermath of Emmanuel Jacques’ murder; and much, much more.
Truth be told, I can’t say that I enjoyed KICKING THE SKY very much but it was a short enough read that its darkness never really tempted me to set it aside. That said, I turned the last page with a deep breath and realized that at least I could honestly say that I was glad to have read it. I can’t recommend it with anything other than a cautionary note that every reader will have to judge their own reaction for themselves.
Paul Weiss
November 18, 2014
Many adults can look back remember that moment in their childhood when innocence was lost. I grew up roaming the streets, empty fields and parks of my suburban neighbourhood, unsupervised and relatively fearless, Aside from the occasional bullies who might claim our "fort" we had few worries. Two things changed all of that for me 1) my younger sister had an encounter with a flasher, and 2) in the Fall of 1970 the radical separatist FLQ group, at the time considered terrorists, carried out a string of kidnappings and a murder. For me, at age 8, the most memorable result of this was the cancellation of Halloween. It was not safe to let children out to Trick or Treat!! My view of my world as a safe and carefree place was changed forever. Those were my "Loss of Innocence Moments".
Kicking the Sky tells the story of Antonio, a young boy living in a Portuguese enclave in downtown Toronto. The community at the time was about 100,000 strong and comprised of mostly first generation immigrants. The parents worked hard, long hours and the children were often unattended. Like many first generation families there were conflicts between the parents, trying to cling to the traditions of the small villages of the old country, and the children, torn between the old world and their new, modern Canadian country.
Toronto in the 70's was a fairly staid city with strong Protestant values, despite it's many immigrant communities. Commercial enterprises were closed on Sundays, bars and clubs closed at 1 a.m at the very latest ...it was considered a safe, rather dull, business obsessed city. Tourists visiting Toronto were invariably amazed with how utterly clean the streets were; sadly that was the strongest impression the city had on it's visitors.
In the summer of 1977 the kidnapping and sexually based killing of a young Portuguese boy who had been working on the street with his brothers, shining shoes, shocked the city. Mothers throughout the city pulled in the reins on their children. There was fear, there were awkward conversations between parents and children, there were rumours, there was anger and there was misguided retribution. For an entire generation this murder was their "Loss of Innocence Moment". To this day, on anniversaries, newspaper articles will revisit the tragic event and the impact it had on the city of Toronto.
This book tells the story of how the murder affected Antonio, and from his perspective, his community. His immediate community includes his parents, both of whom are working, his teenage sister, his "almost aunt", his two best friends; Manny and Ricky, Agnes the hot girl across the street, James, the newcomer living in a garage off the alley, and various others on the street and in the alleyways. Not all is well on Palmerston Ave, in fact, no one is doing well in this book. The degree of dysfunction and sordid situations in the book have angered many readers, especially since this is not how the book is marketed. The anger is understandable. Readers deserve some warning; if you have been a victim of abuse this book may be too painful for you to read. However, with the knowledge that this is a difficult, often disturbing book, it is quite an engrossing read. De Sa holds nothing back in his portrayal of the Portuguese community at that moment in time. He shows us the good, the bad, the funny and the devastatingly sad. He has angered many, as he must have known he would. No one wants their dirty laundry aired for all to see. Good for him for telling his story, his way. His main characters are complex, multi-dimensional, engaging and memorable. The writing is strong, almost poetic. Words are not wasted.
Ultimately this is a coming of age story, a difficult, sad, beautiful and yet hopeful one.
Kicking the Sky tells the story of Antonio, a young boy living in a Portuguese enclave in downtown Toronto. The community at the time was about 100,000 strong and comprised of mostly first generation immigrants. The parents worked hard, long hours and the children were often unattended. Like many first generation families there were conflicts between the parents, trying to cling to the traditions of the small villages of the old country, and the children, torn between the old world and their new, modern Canadian country.
Toronto in the 70's was a fairly staid city with strong Protestant values, despite it's many immigrant communities. Commercial enterprises were closed on Sundays, bars and clubs closed at 1 a.m at the very latest ...it was considered a safe, rather dull, business obsessed city. Tourists visiting Toronto were invariably amazed with how utterly clean the streets were; sadly that was the strongest impression the city had on it's visitors.
In the summer of 1977 the kidnapping and sexually based killing of a young Portuguese boy who had been working on the street with his brothers, shining shoes, shocked the city. Mothers throughout the city pulled in the reins on their children. There was fear, there were awkward conversations between parents and children, there were rumours, there was anger and there was misguided retribution. For an entire generation this murder was their "Loss of Innocence Moment". To this day, on anniversaries, newspaper articles will revisit the tragic event and the impact it had on the city of Toronto.
This book tells the story of how the murder affected Antonio, and from his perspective, his community. His immediate community includes his parents, both of whom are working, his teenage sister, his "almost aunt", his two best friends; Manny and Ricky, Agnes the hot girl across the street, James, the newcomer living in a garage off the alley, and various others on the street and in the alleyways. Not all is well on Palmerston Ave, in fact, no one is doing well in this book. The degree of dysfunction and sordid situations in the book have angered many readers, especially since this is not how the book is marketed. The anger is understandable. Readers deserve some warning; if you have been a victim of abuse this book may be too painful for you to read. However, with the knowledge that this is a difficult, often disturbing book, it is quite an engrossing read. De Sa holds nothing back in his portrayal of the Portuguese community at that moment in time. He shows us the good, the bad, the funny and the devastatingly sad. He has angered many, as he must have known he would. No one wants their dirty laundry aired for all to see. Good for him for telling his story, his way. His main characters are complex, multi-dimensional, engaging and memorable. The writing is strong, almost poetic. Words are not wasted.
Ultimately this is a coming of age story, a difficult, sad, beautiful and yet hopeful one.
January 4, 2016
I am going to apologize right off the top here: this review might be a bit ramble-y. For that, I am sorry. But reading this novel was quite an emotional experience, as I thought back to the summer of 1977 and the story of Emanuel Jaques. The book is brilliant and my mind took it all in, but I seemed to also have my own experiences, away from the novel - though related and/or triggered by the story. Together, it resulted in me having ALL THE FEELINGS. It happens. But when it happens, it can cause reviews (my reviews, anyway) to go off the rails. I am going to try very hard to make this coherent and helpful for you, so as not to do a disservice to the novel, or Anthony De Sa. (Both deserve your attention!) I fully expect to come back to this review at a later time, to clean it up a bit. For now, though, I did want to capture my thoughts and hope you'll indulge me here. Okay, enough of the pre-ramble...onto the review:
Every now and then, if you are lucky, you encounter a book that is unputdownable. I stayed up way too late on Monday night, well past 2am, so I could finish reading Anthony De Sa's new novel, Kicking the Sky . I was pretty foggy-headed the next day, and a little cranky (I am usually asleep by 9:30pm, oops!), but my book hangover was well worth it; De Sa's book is wonderful and I was hooked from the very first page.
Understand, Kicking the Sky is not an easy book to read but, to me, it is a necessary story. The novel is written around the true and tragic fate of one young boy, 12-year-old Emanuel Jaques. In the summer of 1977, Jaques disappeared in downtown Toronto. Four days after he went missing, his body was found on the rooftop of a body-rub parlour on Yonge Street. Jaques had been violently beaten and raped, his body was discarded in a garbage bag. Jaques and his family were Portuguese immigrants, trying to make a good life in a new city and the boy was just trying to earn money. He was lured with the promise of $35 to help move some photographic equipment. In the press, Jacques was dubbed 'The Shoeshine Boy'. This crime shook the entire city, outraged the Portuguese community, and brought the police and gay communities under heavy scrutiny.
In the summer of 1977, I was 10-years-old. My family lived just a little north of the city of Toronto, and just a bit west of Yonge Street. We could easily walk to Yonge and hop on the bus to head downtown, something we often did from the age of 12 or 13 on. My family always had a newspaper subscription (or two), and watching the nightly news was a regular part of our evenings. In 1977, I learned about, and followed, two news stories that scared me greatly, and that have sat with me as heavy sadness ever since: the disappearance and death of Emanuel Jaques was one of those stories. Jaques' death (how and why it happened) was perhaps still a bit abstract to my young mind, but so much was relatable and frightening. I understood a beloved young boy had been violently killed and parents were afraid for their children. I knew the city was in shock, and I grasped the anger and heartbreak within the Portuguese community. I also remember being surprised and confused over the police actions at that time.
Anthony De Sa gives us a window into this time and place in Kicking the Sky. This is very much a coming of age story. We have a 12-year-old main character, Antonio Rebelo, who has one foot in childhood and one, prematurely, thrown into adulthood. Within the story we behold a loss of innocence, struggles with moral questions and immoral acts, and the beginnings of sexual awareness. Antonio's story plays out in contrast to Emanuel Jaques' and makes for an interesting parallel because, as Antonio's mother worries, it could have just as easily been Antonio instead of Emanuel. Violence abounds in this novel, it's almost all-encompassing as we witness it: through the story of Emanuel Jaques' death, from violence of parents, delivered upon their children, spousal abuses, and then, too, we hear about other violent acts, as we learn more about the lives (past and present) of Antonio's friends and family.
There is a lot going on here, but de Sa is fully in control of his story. For all of the heartbreak and cruelty within, there is also a story brimming with humanity, empathy and sensitivity. Through De Sa's talents and personal experiences, we are invited into a world we may not otherwise be able to know well at all. I was very interested in many stylistic aspects of the novel, but there were two themes (or motifs?) in particular that stood out for me: I was very taken by the use of perspective in De Sa's writing. By this, I don't mean the alternating voices of different characters, I mean actual physical perspectives. De Sa often takes his story up, to an elevation above the action - rooftops, hydro poles, a raised sleeping loft and ladder, and an uncle's shoulders are all employed - changing the view and adding an interesting layer to the narrative. The second point of interest was the (sad) use of animals, and the harms inflicted upon them by humans. Yes, this made for upsetting reading at moments, but it serves a purpose and is not gratuitous in its inclusion.
I know this is a novel that is going to sit with me for a long time. I have taken the characters into my heart and find myself thinking about them, wondering if they are okay, hoping for the best. I want De Sa's book to be discovered by many readers and I highly recommend you seek it out. I hope you will be as amazed by this wonderful book as I have been
Doubleday Canada has created a moving book trailer, please take a look:
Anthony De Sa's 'Kicking the Sky' - Book Trailer
Every now and then, if you are lucky, you encounter a book that is unputdownable. I stayed up way too late on Monday night, well past 2am, so I could finish reading Anthony De Sa's new novel, Kicking the Sky . I was pretty foggy-headed the next day, and a little cranky (I am usually asleep by 9:30pm, oops!), but my book hangover was well worth it; De Sa's book is wonderful and I was hooked from the very first page.
Understand, Kicking the Sky is not an easy book to read but, to me, it is a necessary story. The novel is written around the true and tragic fate of one young boy, 12-year-old Emanuel Jaques. In the summer of 1977, Jaques disappeared in downtown Toronto. Four days after he went missing, his body was found on the rooftop of a body-rub parlour on Yonge Street. Jaques had been violently beaten and raped, his body was discarded in a garbage bag. Jaques and his family were Portuguese immigrants, trying to make a good life in a new city and the boy was just trying to earn money. He was lured with the promise of $35 to help move some photographic equipment. In the press, Jacques was dubbed 'The Shoeshine Boy'. This crime shook the entire city, outraged the Portuguese community, and brought the police and gay communities under heavy scrutiny.
In the summer of 1977, I was 10-years-old. My family lived just a little north of the city of Toronto, and just a bit west of Yonge Street. We could easily walk to Yonge and hop on the bus to head downtown, something we often did from the age of 12 or 13 on. My family always had a newspaper subscription (or two), and watching the nightly news was a regular part of our evenings. In 1977, I learned about, and followed, two news stories that scared me greatly, and that have sat with me as heavy sadness ever since: the disappearance and death of Emanuel Jaques was one of those stories. Jaques' death (how and why it happened) was perhaps still a bit abstract to my young mind, but so much was relatable and frightening. I understood a beloved young boy had been violently killed and parents were afraid for their children. I knew the city was in shock, and I grasped the anger and heartbreak within the Portuguese community. I also remember being surprised and confused over the police actions at that time.
Anthony De Sa gives us a window into this time and place in Kicking the Sky. This is very much a coming of age story. We have a 12-year-old main character, Antonio Rebelo, who has one foot in childhood and one, prematurely, thrown into adulthood. Within the story we behold a loss of innocence, struggles with moral questions and immoral acts, and the beginnings of sexual awareness. Antonio's story plays out in contrast to Emanuel Jaques' and makes for an interesting parallel because, as Antonio's mother worries, it could have just as easily been Antonio instead of Emanuel. Violence abounds in this novel, it's almost all-encompassing as we witness it: through the story of Emanuel Jaques' death, from violence of parents, delivered upon their children, spousal abuses, and then, too, we hear about other violent acts, as we learn more about the lives (past and present) of Antonio's friends and family.
There is a lot going on here, but de Sa is fully in control of his story. For all of the heartbreak and cruelty within, there is also a story brimming with humanity, empathy and sensitivity. Through De Sa's talents and personal experiences, we are invited into a world we may not otherwise be able to know well at all. I was very interested in many stylistic aspects of the novel, but there were two themes (or motifs?) in particular that stood out for me: I was very taken by the use of perspective in De Sa's writing. By this, I don't mean the alternating voices of different characters, I mean actual physical perspectives. De Sa often takes his story up, to an elevation above the action - rooftops, hydro poles, a raised sleeping loft and ladder, and an uncle's shoulders are all employed - changing the view and adding an interesting layer to the narrative. The second point of interest was the (sad) use of animals, and the harms inflicted upon them by humans. Yes, this made for upsetting reading at moments, but it serves a purpose and is not gratuitous in its inclusion.
I know this is a novel that is going to sit with me for a long time. I have taken the characters into my heart and find myself thinking about them, wondering if they are okay, hoping for the best. I want De Sa's book to be discovered by many readers and I highly recommend you seek it out. I hope you will be as amazed by this wonderful book as I have been
Doubleday Canada has created a moving book trailer, please take a look:
Anthony De Sa's 'Kicking the Sky' - Book Trailer
June 3, 2014
The body of a young shoeshine boy has been found in a Portuguese neighborhood in Toronto, Canada. The youngster had been abducted, brutalized, and dumped in a trash sack. The murder rocks the small community to its very core.
Antonio Rebelos and his buddies Ricky and Manny are all poised on the narrow strip of no man’s land between child and adult, each trying to figure out who he wants to be, what he is and is not willing to do to make money, and dealing with the uncertainties of life in general. James is an enigma, seeming to appear out of thin air. He is charismatic and soon has the three boys chomping at the bit for the chance to do his bidding. Who is he, really? A pimp? A common moocher? A lost boy, now grown?
Everyone is reaching for a miracle here, even as it is clear that things will never be quite the same for any of them. Lies are told by adults to the kids, to each other, and to themselves. Secrets are kept, thoughts hidden, sins exposed, weaknesses laid bare.
Antonio Rebelos and his buddies Ricky and Manny are all poised on the narrow strip of no man’s land between child and adult, each trying to figure out who he wants to be, what he is and is not willing to do to make money, and dealing with the uncertainties of life in general. James is an enigma, seeming to appear out of thin air. He is charismatic and soon has the three boys chomping at the bit for the chance to do his bidding. Who is he, really? A pimp? A common moocher? A lost boy, now grown?
Everyone is reaching for a miracle here, even as it is clear that things will never be quite the same for any of them. Lies are told by adults to the kids, to each other, and to themselves. Secrets are kept, thoughts hidden, sins exposed, weaknesses laid bare.
February 4, 2014
Just as there are occasional books that surprise with how superb they are, so there are rueful disappointments now and then. Anthony De Sa's previous book, "Barnacle Love," showed a quiet depth and subtle authenticity in its stories of immigrant Portuguese society shifting into life in Toronto, and I looked forward to seeing the author's abilities demonstrated at novel length. Unfortunately, "Kicking the Sky" did not, for me, come anywhere close to meeting those hopeful expectations.
This is essentially a "coming of age" story, focusing on twelve year old Antonio, who is trying to make sense of his transition to being treated as a young man within his immigrant family context, and is also coming to terms with the sexual attraction he feels to another blond, blue-eyed male who is slightly older. This set of changes is being played out against the backdrop of the infamous 1977 killing of young shoeshine boy Emanuel Jaques amid the strip clubs and body rub parlours of Toronto's Yonge Street.
This could be, it seems to me, the basis for a deeply felt and interesting novel.
Unfortunately, though, De Sa does both too much and too little with his story. Antonio is used to explore all sorts of questions and concerns in an overly diverse set of relationships -- with his mother who is involved in a possible liaison with an Anglo doctor, with his father who becomes caught up in a conflict with the local parish priest, with one young friend who starts taking drugs, with another young friend who is abused by his father and who is drawn into child prostitution, with a family aunt who is in a biracial marriage and is traumatized by her son's death in Vietnam, with the blond and blue-eyed James who is also trying to protect a young girl who becomes pregnant, etc., etc. This persona overload prevents the novel from having a strong focus.
At the same time, there is too little done with these various characters. So many are drawn into the book in a superficial way that there is little depth given to them, and no significant chance for Antonio to build a complex relationship with a few of them that helps understand what is happening to him and how interactions are contributing to a deeper plot. The one exception to this may be Antonio's father, but even that father-son relationship is not developed with much nuance or sense of insight.
By the end of the book, we know that Antonio is one year older, we know more about the Portuguese community as it lived in west end Toronto in the later 1970's, and we have a stronger memory of the Emanuel Jaques tragedy. But we do not have the fine novel that I expected.
This is essentially a "coming of age" story, focusing on twelve year old Antonio, who is trying to make sense of his transition to being treated as a young man within his immigrant family context, and is also coming to terms with the sexual attraction he feels to another blond, blue-eyed male who is slightly older. This set of changes is being played out against the backdrop of the infamous 1977 killing of young shoeshine boy Emanuel Jaques amid the strip clubs and body rub parlours of Toronto's Yonge Street.
This could be, it seems to me, the basis for a deeply felt and interesting novel.
Unfortunately, though, De Sa does both too much and too little with his story. Antonio is used to explore all sorts of questions and concerns in an overly diverse set of relationships -- with his mother who is involved in a possible liaison with an Anglo doctor, with his father who becomes caught up in a conflict with the local parish priest, with one young friend who starts taking drugs, with another young friend who is abused by his father and who is drawn into child prostitution, with a family aunt who is in a biracial marriage and is traumatized by her son's death in Vietnam, with the blond and blue-eyed James who is also trying to protect a young girl who becomes pregnant, etc., etc. This persona overload prevents the novel from having a strong focus.
At the same time, there is too little done with these various characters. So many are drawn into the book in a superficial way that there is little depth given to them, and no significant chance for Antonio to build a complex relationship with a few of them that helps understand what is happening to him and how interactions are contributing to a deeper plot. The one exception to this may be Antonio's father, but even that father-son relationship is not developed with much nuance or sense of insight.
By the end of the book, we know that Antonio is one year older, we know more about the Portuguese community as it lived in west end Toronto in the later 1970's, and we have a stronger memory of the Emanuel Jaques tragedy. But we do not have the fine novel that I expected.
November 9, 2013
Canadian author Anthony De Sa's previous book, Barnacle Love is a collection of linked short stories about a Portuguese immigrant family. One of the stories, 'Shoeshine Boy' has been expanded in Kicking The Sky, his first full length novel.
Set in Toronto in 1977 the real life disappearance of shoeshine boy, Emanuel Jacques is the catalyst for the events in this book. Four days after his disappearance his body was discovered, he'd been brutally raped before being murdered. This then is the brutal backdrop for a gritty coming of age story about twelve year old Canadian-Portuguese boy Antonio Rebelo. We see the city through the eyes of the adolescent, the narrow alleys are their hiding places, full of danger and excitement. Antonio and his friends jump across rooftops searching for adventure - their initial reaction following the shoeshine boy's disappearance is to make a plan to find him, believing they will have more luck than the police. Then Emanuel's body is discovered and Antonio, already on the brink of manhood is thrust him into a world where innocence is shattered, parents are terrified, people, particularly the Portuguese immigrants from the Azores want revenge and the homosexual community is a target. The violence and darker side of life in this book is uncompromising, wives are beaten by husbands, there are predatory mothers and boys give blow jobs through a fence for money.
Antonio himself is a likeable yet complex character, he is often terrified or sickened by events yet is unable to resist the draw of the adult world of secrets, lies and fear. He is confused too about his own sexuality, at first drawn to a girl in the neighbourhood but later becomes aware of his attraction to the mysterious James, at a time when homophobia had become rife this only adds to the boy's turmoil. Amongst this though there is humour and love; the bond between friends, the parents that desperately want to protect their children, not ready to accept they are growing up and see and hear what adults think they have concealed.
In many ways this isn't an easy book to read, it is raw and shocking. Yet by evoking so accurately the fear, confusion and anger both of a young boy and of the wider community De Sa has written a book that is powerful and honest. I thoroughly recommend it.
Disclosure: I received my copy of Kicking The Sky free from Netgalley in return for my honest review.
Set in Toronto in 1977 the real life disappearance of shoeshine boy, Emanuel Jacques is the catalyst for the events in this book. Four days after his disappearance his body was discovered, he'd been brutally raped before being murdered. This then is the brutal backdrop for a gritty coming of age story about twelve year old Canadian-Portuguese boy Antonio Rebelo. We see the city through the eyes of the adolescent, the narrow alleys are their hiding places, full of danger and excitement. Antonio and his friends jump across rooftops searching for adventure - their initial reaction following the shoeshine boy's disappearance is to make a plan to find him, believing they will have more luck than the police. Then Emanuel's body is discovered and Antonio, already on the brink of manhood is thrust him into a world where innocence is shattered, parents are terrified, people, particularly the Portuguese immigrants from the Azores want revenge and the homosexual community is a target. The violence and darker side of life in this book is uncompromising, wives are beaten by husbands, there are predatory mothers and boys give blow jobs through a fence for money.
Antonio himself is a likeable yet complex character, he is often terrified or sickened by events yet is unable to resist the draw of the adult world of secrets, lies and fear. He is confused too about his own sexuality, at first drawn to a girl in the neighbourhood but later becomes aware of his attraction to the mysterious James, at a time when homophobia had become rife this only adds to the boy's turmoil. Amongst this though there is humour and love; the bond between friends, the parents that desperately want to protect their children, not ready to accept they are growing up and see and hear what adults think they have concealed.
In many ways this isn't an easy book to read, it is raw and shocking. Yet by evoking so accurately the fear, confusion and anger both of a young boy and of the wider community De Sa has written a book that is powerful and honest. I thoroughly recommend it.
Disclosure: I received my copy of Kicking The Sky free from Netgalley in return for my honest review.
August 16, 2013
I thought Kicking the Sky, which I received as a Goodreads giveaway, was a wonderful novel, one of the best Canadian novels I have read in quite some time. It reminded me of some other Canadian novels that I also consider to be excellent.
First, I couldn't help thinking of Nino Ricci's Lives of the Saints as I read it. Both novels are told from the point of view of a child, who, while very perspicacious, is nevertheless too naïve to be able to make sense of everything that he observes. And boy does Antonio ever observe a lot, far seedier and intimate stuff than anyone should every need to see, young or old. And like Vito in Lives of the Saints, he is a deeply affected by events over which he has no control. Both novels also show the superstitions that the villagers in Vito's village in Italy and the Portuguese community in 70s Toronto allow themselves to be controlled by, at least to some extent, and the damage that can result.
This novel's seedier side also reminded me very much of the Hochelga neighborhood described in Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill. Lullabies is also told from a child's perspective, and, like Antonio, Baby is strangely drawn to a pimp who seems at first to offer her protection and comfort.
Finally, this novel also reminded me of the short story "My Father's Life" by Mordecai Richler. Richler did not always shed a positive light on the Jewish community in Montreal, and De Sa certainly shows some of the negative aspects of the religion and culture of the Portuguese community in 70s Toronto, aspects that certain members of this community would probably have preferred not to see in print, fiction or not.
Alongside Ricci, O'Neill and Richler, De Sa is in very good literary company indeed!
First, I couldn't help thinking of Nino Ricci's Lives of the Saints as I read it. Both novels are told from the point of view of a child, who, while very perspicacious, is nevertheless too naïve to be able to make sense of everything that he observes. And boy does Antonio ever observe a lot, far seedier and intimate stuff than anyone should every need to see, young or old. And like Vito in Lives of the Saints, he is a deeply affected by events over which he has no control. Both novels also show the superstitions that the villagers in Vito's village in Italy and the Portuguese community in 70s Toronto allow themselves to be controlled by, at least to some extent, and the damage that can result.
This novel's seedier side also reminded me very much of the Hochelga neighborhood described in Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill. Lullabies is also told from a child's perspective, and, like Antonio, Baby is strangely drawn to a pimp who seems at first to offer her protection and comfort.
Finally, this novel also reminded me of the short story "My Father's Life" by Mordecai Richler. Richler did not always shed a positive light on the Jewish community in Montreal, and De Sa certainly shows some of the negative aspects of the religion and culture of the Portuguese community in 70s Toronto, aspects that certain members of this community would probably have preferred not to see in print, fiction or not.
Alongside Ricci, O'Neill and Richler, De Sa is in very good literary company indeed!
November 30, 2019
De Sa’s Kicking the Sky is a novel that revolves around the true story of the murder of a young boy in Toronto in 1977. If you lived in Toronto that summer, you will still recollect the murder of young Emanuel Jaques. To borrow a phrase from the song American Pie, this was the summer that the innocence of Toronto finally died.
The novel follows the life of Antonio Rebelo, a Portuguese boy and his friends, as they navigate the death Emanuel and try to understand their own evolving lives and the society that surrounds them. Their lives are very dark, awkward, and seemingly without clear direction. Perhaps that is what the life of any pre-teen is like. In the hands of De Sa the reader gets to watch Antonio and his family in their day to day lives. The novel is wrapped in the Portuguese section of Toronto and we learn how this culture both forms and warps young Antonio.
As a Bildungsroman this novel fires on all cylinders. It is not an easy read, and one will encounter many jarring events including death, homosexuality, and the illegal disposal of a body. Be warned.
Still, this novel is graced with a clear and smooth style, a sensitivity and insightful understanding of the Portuguese community, and a grace of understanding of all the characters who inhabit the novel.
This novel is worth reading.
The novel follows the life of Antonio Rebelo, a Portuguese boy and his friends, as they navigate the death Emanuel and try to understand their own evolving lives and the society that surrounds them. Their lives are very dark, awkward, and seemingly without clear direction. Perhaps that is what the life of any pre-teen is like. In the hands of De Sa the reader gets to watch Antonio and his family in their day to day lives. The novel is wrapped in the Portuguese section of Toronto and we learn how this culture both forms and warps young Antonio.
As a Bildungsroman this novel fires on all cylinders. It is not an easy read, and one will encounter many jarring events including death, homosexuality, and the illegal disposal of a body. Be warned.
Still, this novel is graced with a clear and smooth style, a sensitivity and insightful understanding of the Portuguese community, and a grace of understanding of all the characters who inhabit the novel.
This novel is worth reading.
September 14, 2013
This story takes places in 1977 and revolves around the true story of Emanuel Jaques. Emanuel was a 12-year-old Portuguese shoeshine boy working on Yonge Street who was lured to an apartment above a rub-and-tug to help move some camera equipment for some quick cash. Over the span of twelve hours he was tortured and raped and eventually murdered. I didn't move to Toronto until 1987 so didn't know about this tragedy until I started reading this book. Gord was born and raised in Toronto and said it was a huge story at the time.
The fictional story revolves around childhood friends Antonio, Ricky and Manny. They are first-generation Portuguese and live in the Palmerston/Queen Street W area ... just east of my 'hood so I knew a lot of the landmarks mentioned in the book. After the death of Emanuel, the Portuguese community becomes very protective. Twenty-something James moves to a garage in the 'hood the boy starts hanging out with him though there is something about him that makes Antonio uneasy.
This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it ... it was an interesting story plus it's set in Toronto. It's written in first person from 11-year-old Antonio's perspective. I really got a sense of what it was like to live in Toronto in the late 1970s. Given the nature of the story, I wasn't expecting it to be a happy one but I was surprised at how dark it was. The language at times is for a mature reader.
I liked the boys ... each had something wacky to deal with at home. Antonio's parents have the turmoil of dealing with trying to make it in a new country. Given that it was a close-knit Portuguese community, we got to know the various family members and neighbours along with their superstitions and beliefs.
I would recommend this book.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2013/09...
The fictional story revolves around childhood friends Antonio, Ricky and Manny. They are first-generation Portuguese and live in the Palmerston/Queen Street W area ... just east of my 'hood so I knew a lot of the landmarks mentioned in the book. After the death of Emanuel, the Portuguese community becomes very protective. Twenty-something James moves to a garage in the 'hood the boy starts hanging out with him though there is something about him that makes Antonio uneasy.
This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it ... it was an interesting story plus it's set in Toronto. It's written in first person from 11-year-old Antonio's perspective. I really got a sense of what it was like to live in Toronto in the late 1970s. Given the nature of the story, I wasn't expecting it to be a happy one but I was surprised at how dark it was. The language at times is for a mature reader.
I liked the boys ... each had something wacky to deal with at home. Antonio's parents have the turmoil of dealing with trying to make it in a new country. Given that it was a close-knit Portuguese community, we got to know the various family members and neighbours along with their superstitions and beliefs.
I would recommend this book.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2013/09...
February 5, 2014
This novel is a combination about coming of age in an immigrant family (Portuguese community in Toronto) and a young boy coping with the murder of a local 12 yr old known as the Shoeshine Boy. But more than that, it has so much going on from child prostitution, sexual confusion, drugs, biracial marriage... what I am saying is that there is a lot crammed into this story. I don't know much about Toronto nor the murder this is based on. I did see elsewhere that some people were upset that insinuating the young Jaques was prostituting himself is sullying his memory. It is an understandable point, but in the writer's defense I overlooked it because it is a fictionalized account.
Atonio more than anything represents the death of innocence. As the world around him reveals its seedy, ugly secrets he is filled with questions and tainted by reality, as are we all. Antonio is confused by his sexual attraction to James, who is possibly a pervert, so there is homophobia as a theme in this novel. The child abuse is hard to read about, nothing makes people more uncomfortable than that. There are times it seems the author tried to tackle too many subjects, feeding into touchy topics but it doesn't take away from the dark read. You feel a little grubby along the journey but it is thought provoking, and not all novels can claim the same. Every character has some serious issues going on. The reader will never be bored. It is a story that sits with you, stains your thoughts for a few days.
Atonio more than anything represents the death of innocence. As the world around him reveals its seedy, ugly secrets he is filled with questions and tainted by reality, as are we all. Antonio is confused by his sexual attraction to James, who is possibly a pervert, so there is homophobia as a theme in this novel. The child abuse is hard to read about, nothing makes people more uncomfortable than that. There are times it seems the author tried to tackle too many subjects, feeding into touchy topics but it doesn't take away from the dark read. You feel a little grubby along the journey but it is thought provoking, and not all novels can claim the same. Every character has some serious issues going on. The reader will never be bored. It is a story that sits with you, stains your thoughts for a few days.
October 16, 2014
What a weird, lurid book. I was initially drawn the author's rendering of an immigrant community in Toronto in the late 70s, but somewhere along the way, I (and maybe the author) lost the plot... Between depicting the VERY early teen homosexual encounters, glory holes, and sexual commerce while portraying the Portuguese family life I was consistently confused about the tone of the book, the main character, and most of the other players. I finally gave up almost at the end, when I just couldn't wade through it anymore, and the puzzlement at why anyone billed this as a "coming of age" story hasn't left me.
March 31, 2014
The complexities of a good coming-of-age novel is what makes literature so enjoyable to read. When a writer combines what their protagonist is: feeling, seeing, hearing and trying to understand into a well-crafted collection of words, then an element of the human condition is described to the world and the world learns a bit more about itself. And that is exactly what Anthony De Sa has done in his novel Kicking the Sky.
Link to my complete review
Link to my complete review
June 19, 2015
Well, that certainly was a book.
November 23, 2022
Um café com música :))
August 22, 2017
The aptly titled "Kicking the Sky" tells the fictional story of Antonio, a 12 year old boy coming of age in Toronto during the aftermath of the real-life brutal rape and murder of a young boy, Emanuel Jaques. Antonio and his two best friends, Ricky and Manny, find themselves plunged into the belly of the city's underworld when they befriend a seemingly charming older stranger who moves into an apartment above a garage in their neighborhood shortly after Jaques' body is found.
As to be expected from a novel that is based upon the true crime case of the murder of a child, "Kicking the Sky" is a very dark and disturbing read. It's also incredibly vivid and engaging thanks both to De Sa's simple yet colorful prose and the fact that in spite of the abuse and ugliness that Antonio witnesses and experiences, he is essentially a very good and sensitive person.
Antonio and Ricky - a gentle child who experiences the worst of the abuse at the hands of both his father and various men in the neighborhood - somehow manage to retain both their kindness and even some of their innocence in the face of the unspeakable horrors that unfold. In that sense, "Kicking the Sky" is a tribute to the triumph of the human spirit.
However there is a reason why I am giving this excellent book four stars instead of five: at times the violence and abuse depicted in this novel felt gratuitous and even occasionally exploitative. There were parts where I was holding the book away from my body in revulsion. To say that this is a disturbing read is an understatement.
All in all, I admire De Sa's straightforward and "movie-like" writing style. I would be interested in reading other books by this author.
As to be expected from a novel that is based upon the true crime case of the murder of a child, "Kicking the Sky" is a very dark and disturbing read. It's also incredibly vivid and engaging thanks both to De Sa's simple yet colorful prose and the fact that in spite of the abuse and ugliness that Antonio witnesses and experiences, he is essentially a very good and sensitive person.
Antonio and Ricky - a gentle child who experiences the worst of the abuse at the hands of both his father and various men in the neighborhood - somehow manage to retain both their kindness and even some of their innocence in the face of the unspeakable horrors that unfold. In that sense, "Kicking the Sky" is a tribute to the triumph of the human spirit.
However there is a reason why I am giving this excellent book four stars instead of five: at times the violence and abuse depicted in this novel felt gratuitous and even occasionally exploitative. There were parts where I was holding the book away from my body in revulsion. To say that this is a disturbing read is an understatement.
All in all, I admire De Sa's straightforward and "movie-like" writing style. I would be interested in reading other books by this author.
May 31, 2014
A heartbreaking story about a twelve year old boy living in an immigrant community. Like most children of immigrants, he has to navigate between two worlds -- that of the "old country" and that of the "new country."
The story is heartbreaking because Antonio experiences events that no young boy should endure. In fact, the events haunt and influence his whole community. They want to do something about it, but because they are "poor immigrants" they have a very quiet voice and are largely ignored. In some ways, that forces them to ignore the problem as well. The book is disturbing because the author wants the reader to be disturbed: you are supposed to be bothered by the lifestyle that is normal for these boys not because of the lifestyle itself but because it is normal for them, because it is what they have to do to survive. That is the disturbing or unsettling part. It should not be the reality for young men just looking to survive life. There is hope in the story through the strong (if sometimes twisted) sense of community amoung this group of immigrants. As weird as his family is, I got the sense that Antonio is a survivor and is grounded because he has his family.
The writing, the characters, the story are all strong and literary. There is symbolism in the slaughtered pig in the opening scenes of the book that are discreetly carried throughout the novel. Some of the jumps in the story are a bit confusing and I had to reread to make sure I wasn't missing anything, but life is like that when a thought gets hijacked by another event.
I recommend this book for its quality and groundedness. Another strong novel by Antonio De Sa.
The story is heartbreaking because Antonio experiences events that no young boy should endure. In fact, the events haunt and influence his whole community. They want to do something about it, but because they are "poor immigrants" they have a very quiet voice and are largely ignored. In some ways, that forces them to ignore the problem as well. The book is disturbing because the author wants the reader to be disturbed: you are supposed to be bothered by the lifestyle that is normal for these boys not because of the lifestyle itself but because it is normal for them, because it is what they have to do to survive. That is the disturbing or unsettling part. It should not be the reality for young men just looking to survive life. There is hope in the story through the strong (if sometimes twisted) sense of community amoung this group of immigrants. As weird as his family is, I got the sense that Antonio is a survivor and is grounded because he has his family.
The writing, the characters, the story are all strong and literary. There is symbolism in the slaughtered pig in the opening scenes of the book that are discreetly carried throughout the novel. Some of the jumps in the story are a bit confusing and I had to reread to make sure I wasn't missing anything, but life is like that when a thought gets hijacked by another event.
I recommend this book for its quality and groundedness. Another strong novel by Antonio De Sa.
April 14, 2014
A few years ago, as part of Doors Open Toronto, author Anthony De Sa met with a group of us at the Factory Theatre to read from his story collection, Barnacle Love, and afterwards, to take us for a tour of his former neighbourhood west of there. We followed the author along back alleyways and into his uncle David's back yard, where a fig tree was thriving. That day, I was enthralled by De Sa's love for Little Portugal, an area that had formed him.
Kicking the Sky is set in these very same back alleys over 35 years ago. As I read the novel, I had no trouble visualizing the setting. I also remember clearly the real incident that provides the background to the novel: the brutal murder of the "shoeshine boy", Emanuel Jaques, an event that paralyzed the local Portuguese community.
De Sa's novel centres on the lives of a group of Portuguese boys in this community. The narrator, Antonio Rebelo ,is 11 when the story begins. He spends his time with other boys close to his age all of whom are largely unsupervised. (Parents are often absent, for a variety of reasons.) All these boys are very vulnerable as they teeter on the edge of adolescence. Their world is full of grim realities, some of which come as a shock to this reader. Children should not be exposed to much of what these boys experience.
With its rather innocent child narrator and religious society, Kicking the Sky brings to mind Nino Ricci's Lives of the Saints, but this tale is darker overall.
Kicking the Sky is set in these very same back alleys over 35 years ago. As I read the novel, I had no trouble visualizing the setting. I also remember clearly the real incident that provides the background to the novel: the brutal murder of the "shoeshine boy", Emanuel Jaques, an event that paralyzed the local Portuguese community.
De Sa's novel centres on the lives of a group of Portuguese boys in this community. The narrator, Antonio Rebelo ,is 11 when the story begins. He spends his time with other boys close to his age all of whom are largely unsupervised. (Parents are often absent, for a variety of reasons.) All these boys are very vulnerable as they teeter on the edge of adolescence. Their world is full of grim realities, some of which come as a shock to this reader. Children should not be exposed to much of what these boys experience.
With its rather innocent child narrator and religious society, Kicking the Sky brings to mind Nino Ricci's Lives of the Saints, but this tale is darker overall.
October 26, 2013
I thought Barnacle Love was good, but this book is horrible. The author admits that he thought the Jaques murder was cool and hip at the time it happened and this book reads as childish, narcissistic fantasies complete with some modern hot topic buttons such as anti-Church, gay rights movement, pity the child murderer and even pro choice sentiments.
The Portuguese community is represented as some ignorant, religious fanatics that just hopped of the banana boat at the turn of the century instead of 1977. People in Portugal itself are not this ignorant.
The most insulting part of this novel is the setting of the Jaques murder. Neither De Sa or the rest of us can understand what it must be like for this family to lose a child and to trivialize the murder with some anti-gay backlash or hinting that the child was selling himself was disgusting.
The Portuguese community is represented as some ignorant, religious fanatics that just hopped of the banana boat at the turn of the century instead of 1977. People in Portugal itself are not this ignorant.
The most insulting part of this novel is the setting of the Jaques murder. Neither De Sa or the rest of us can understand what it must be like for this family to lose a child and to trivialize the murder with some anti-gay backlash or hinting that the child was selling himself was disgusting.
January 22, 2016
There are some ugly things and shady characters that will turn some people off of this realistic, gritty, coming-of-age tale set in Toronto, Canada in 1977; but the vivid, poignant writing and the innocence of the main character, 12-yr-old Antonio, balances out the seedier aspects. Antonio comes from a strong loving family but some of his friends are not so lucky. There are themes of male prostitution, child prostitution and child abuse. I loved this writing because I felt like I could see and feel Antonio's world. I loved the wacky religious behavior that was spurred when Antonio discovered the image of Jesus in a shell.
October 10, 2013
Excellent read, especially if you are from Toronto, are of Portuguese descent or grew up part of any ethnic group. A coming-of-age story about a young boy between two cultures, at a time when a murder sent shock waves through his ethnic community and his city.
Here's an interview I produced with the author:
http://ww3.tvo.org/video/195960/antho...
If you can't access the link above, try the interview on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhu1Xc...
Here's an interview I produced with the author:
http://ww3.tvo.org/video/195960/antho...
If you can't access the link above, try the interview on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhu1Xc...
October 5, 2013
This book is dark, gritty and raw which is why I loved it. It captures subjects most authors wouldn't go near. It is Sao to center around the Emmanuel Jaques murder which really took place in Toronto in this era. The book truly centres on three boys, their community and the things people have to do to survive. It really only alludes to Emmanuel's murder and there are no details that would alarm. From what I know of this boys murder most details were left out which is probably a good thing.
February 16, 2020
Set in a Portuguese neighbourhood in Toronto in the 1970s— at the time of an infamous killing which dominated the news and coloured how many people viewed gay men (as predators, deviants and child-murderers). That is the framework for this book.
So there’s a lot going on in the novel; perhaps too much. Was Jesus in the shellfish too much? Was the character Edite too much (with her expository sources in the police department)? The "coming out" conversations did not feel true to me. There was much to like here, but also much felt a little too contrived and trying a little too hard.
So there’s a lot going on in the novel; perhaps too much. Was Jesus in the shellfish too much? Was the character Edite too much (with her expository sources in the police department)? The "coming out" conversations did not feel true to me. There was much to like here, but also much felt a little too contrived and trying a little too hard.
December 23, 2013
3.5 out of 5
September 27, 2013
awesome, great characters and enough depth to relate to each.
April 4, 2023
Great book with difficult themes. Kind of struggled through this book as I have memories of this time.
July 11, 2017
Based on the real-life murder of a 12-year old boy from Toronto's Portuguese immigrant community, this 1977 coming of age story is immersive, if a bit melodramatic. The characters, family dynamics, and locale are all clearly autobiographical to an extent, which is what gives the story such a rich tone and depth of feeling. Eleven-year-old narrator Antonio is at the age where his world is just starting to extend beyond his immediate neighborhood, with all the excitement and danger that means.
I quite liked the complex dynamics between him and his two friends -- one of whom is a bit pushy, showoffy, and dangerous, while the other is sensitive and abused. The story also does a very sensitive job of showing the tension between immigrant parents and their kids, how the traditions of the homeland are carried out in this frozen northern world, and how that can simultaneously be a source of pride, belonging, and shame -- not to mention the fine delineations that can exist in immigrant communities (Antonio's family is from the Azores, which is looked down upon by mainlanders).
However, the book is also drenched in far too many melodramas -- and that's what ultimately undoes it. For some reason, it's not enough that there's this horrific real-life pedophile rape and murder case in the background. Antonio's got a new neighbor who's a downtown hustler, one of his friends is pimped out to a local man and eventually raped, the older neighborhood girl that he lusts after is raped by her stepfather and impregnated, he briefly becomes a kind of miracle-worker people drive hundreds of miles to see, his mother might be having an affair, his aunt is possibly mentally ill, and he also watches his parents having sex one night.
It's just all too much -- one or two of these on their own contain plenty of material to mine, but by cramming so much into such a limited physical and temporal space, it ends up coming across like some kind of hyperactive soap opera. It's weird imbalance, because in one sphere the writing is so nuanced and sensitive, and then it goes bonkers elsewhere. Due to this unevenness I can't really imagine recommending this to anyone except maybe readers with a deep interest in Toronto or the Portuguese immigrant experience in North America.
I quite liked the complex dynamics between him and his two friends -- one of whom is a bit pushy, showoffy, and dangerous, while the other is sensitive and abused. The story also does a very sensitive job of showing the tension between immigrant parents and their kids, how the traditions of the homeland are carried out in this frozen northern world, and how that can simultaneously be a source of pride, belonging, and shame -- not to mention the fine delineations that can exist in immigrant communities (Antonio's family is from the Azores, which is looked down upon by mainlanders).
However, the book is also drenched in far too many melodramas -- and that's what ultimately undoes it. For some reason, it's not enough that there's this horrific real-life pedophile rape and murder case in the background. Antonio's got a new neighbor who's a downtown hustler, one of his friends is pimped out to a local man and eventually raped, the older neighborhood girl that he lusts after is raped by her stepfather and impregnated, he briefly becomes a kind of miracle-worker people drive hundreds of miles to see, his mother might be having an affair, his aunt is possibly mentally ill, and he also watches his parents having sex one night.
It's just all too much -- one or two of these on their own contain plenty of material to mine, but by cramming so much into such a limited physical and temporal space, it ends up coming across like some kind of hyperactive soap opera. It's weird imbalance, because in one sphere the writing is so nuanced and sensitive, and then it goes bonkers elsewhere. Due to this unevenness I can't really imagine recommending this to anyone except maybe readers with a deep interest in Toronto or the Portuguese immigrant experience in North America.
October 12, 2018
Although this book is set in a time of unrest and crime (Toronto in the late 70's, in a Summer when a young boy is lured from the streets and murdered), I thoroughly enjoyed this book - from beginning to end.
I'm not sure if it helped that I was a teenager, growing up in (what is now) the northern edge of Toronto; or that I lived in the area of Toronto in which the story is set, when I was older; however, I simply loved it.
The references (Kids Day at the CNE) brought back fond memories, and in fact, I loved reading about a time, when I would have only been vaguely aware of the 'Toronto news'. In fact the news story that's at the heart of this book is true. It is the surrounding characters and story line that is fictional. Because of the rich character development and the way De Sa paints his scenes, are very real.
It is the kind of book where you get to know the characters; you learn to love them (flaws and all); and then you don't want the book to be over, because you don't want to leave these characters behind.
This story is about family, love (in all its many forms); coming of age; first love; brotherhood (whether you're related or not); duty (to family, heritage, and the Church); one immigrant story (the Portuguese in Toronto's Queen West area); acceptance; and so much more.
I started out rating this book as a 4 star; however, as I wrote this review and thought about the themes, the characters, the writing, and the images burned in my brain; I had to bump it up to FIVE STARS!!
I'm not sure if it helped that I was a teenager, growing up in (what is now) the northern edge of Toronto; or that I lived in the area of Toronto in which the story is set, when I was older; however, I simply loved it.
The references (Kids Day at the CNE) brought back fond memories, and in fact, I loved reading about a time, when I would have only been vaguely aware of the 'Toronto news'. In fact the news story that's at the heart of this book is true. It is the surrounding characters and story line that is fictional. Because of the rich character development and the way De Sa paints his scenes, are very real.
It is the kind of book where you get to know the characters; you learn to love them (flaws and all); and then you don't want the book to be over, because you don't want to leave these characters behind.
This story is about family, love (in all its many forms); coming of age; first love; brotherhood (whether you're related or not); duty (to family, heritage, and the Church); one immigrant story (the Portuguese in Toronto's Queen West area); acceptance; and so much more.
I started out rating this book as a 4 star; however, as I wrote this review and thought about the themes, the characters, the writing, and the images burned in my brain; I had to bump it up to FIVE STARS!!
November 29, 2017
Boys, almost young men growing up in a Portuguese neighborhood of Toronto. This novel almost feels like reading a diary. It is that personal, full of real life, and mostly wonderful characters. Three boys mess about on rooftops,city streets, and in their newly adopted 21 year old friend’s garage. At the same time another young boy has been kidnapped, raped, and murdered. The friendship that binds the boys creates, for them, a sense of bravado. Despite the dangers all around they, with the exception of one, manage to stay relatively safe and grow up in the process. DeSa has written a story that rings true `of growing up in many ethnic urban neighborhoods. Explosive anger, manipulative behavior, self destructive acts, family dysfunction and loyalties are all bound up in this power house of a novel. Well done Mr. DeSa.
July 18, 2019
Actual Rating: 4.5*
This was one of those stories that grew for me the further it travelled along. Antonio, the 11yo protagonist, was a great character, watching as the world around him became darker due to a heinous crime committed not that far away. His community reacted in different ways, but mostly trying to shelter him and the other children in cocoons. But, being children, they had their own little worlds they didn't want to give up. I loved the relationships in this book between all the characters, especially with Antonio and his friends, Manny & Ricky, and with his aunt, Edite. Many tough themes are encountered in this story, but amidst all the fear and worry is a growing resilience. Antonio is a character I know I will find it hard to forget.
This was one of those stories that grew for me the further it travelled along. Antonio, the 11yo protagonist, was a great character, watching as the world around him became darker due to a heinous crime committed not that far away. His community reacted in different ways, but mostly trying to shelter him and the other children in cocoons. But, being children, they had their own little worlds they didn't want to give up. I loved the relationships in this book between all the characters, especially with Antonio and his friends, Manny & Ricky, and with his aunt, Edite. Many tough themes are encountered in this story, but amidst all the fear and worry is a growing resilience. Antonio is a character I know I will find it hard to forget.
July 16, 2018
How can a gentle read contain pedophiles, gay bashers and murder? Yet, I feel this was that, a gentle read. Told by a 12 year old Portuguese boy in Toronto, the lives of these immigrants unfold as a family in a community. He has freedom, yet there are restrictions. He is a boy, yet encouraged to be a man. I found the external characters a bit underdeveloped. Consequently leaving me unsure of just where they fit in the story. The mother is a strong character as she is the strong centre of the family, with soft pillows under her eyes.De Sa uses such beautiful descriptions. These carry vivid images where the story line sometimes lets me down,
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