The Bricks that Built the Houses

The Bricks That Build Houses starts out really strong. Kae Tempest has an incredible way of getting straight to a person’s hopes, dreams, and motivations. In the first half of the book, we follow the protagonists: Becky, a waitress/masseuse; her boyfriend Pete, an insecure social failure but with his heart in the right place; and Pete’s sister Harry, who is a drug dealer.

Unfortunately, halfway through the book, the story falls apart. This happens when Kae tries to tie together the various storylines of the characters. Up until this point, the story is largely character-driven, focusing on the (internal) struggles and interactions of Becky, Pete, and Harry. The setup for the climactic turning point in the story is a slapstick standoff in a bar where all the major players are present. The absurdity of this chapter - such as Becky’s uncles being present for no clear reason, or Harry acting so out of character compared to the rest of the book - didn’t do the story any favours. It feels like a narrative shortcut rather than a natural progression and although the story afterwards goes back to more character driven storytelling this hiccup did sour the milk a bit.