On the afternoon when Angel Allegria arrives at the Poloverdos’ farmhouse, he kills the farmer and his wife. But he spares their child, Paolo, a young boy who will claim this as the day on which he was born. Together the killer and the boy begin a new life on this remote and rugged stretch of land in Chile. Then Luis Secunda, a well-to-do and educated fellow from the city descends upon them. Paolo is caught in the paternal rivalry between the two men. But life resumes its course, until circumstances force the three to leave the farm. In doing so, Angel and Luis confront their pasts as well as their inevitable destinies; destinies that profoundly shape Paolo’s own future.
Related: Americas, Chile, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18)
- ISBN: 9780385732932
- Author: Bondoux, Anne-Laure
- Translator: Maudet, Y.
- Published: 2006, Random House Children's Books
- Themes: Murder, Redemption, relationships
- Descriptors: Americas, Chile, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18)
- No. of pages: 176
The Killer’s Tears challenges the reader, in this case an adult, to reconstruct what is meant by childhood. Paolo’s existance is not innocent nor is it idyllic. The text pushes the boundaries of childhood and children’s lit to the limit, where the dystopian can mean more than the utopian, while at the same time, the idea of love redeeming the worst sins and sinners is explored in a nauanced, hope-giving way. Read on!
This book should ignite a lively and spirited discussion about the Paolo’s willingness to live with and then accompany on a journey the man he knows murdered his parents, particularly in considering how the murderer changes through his association with Paolo.
Marilyn Carpenter