The Family's House

The brothers grow up in ramshackle house in upstate New York. The house is never directly described, instead it is taken for granted as if it is a part of the family. The brothers often play or hide from their parents in the crawlspace. The kitchen is the heart of the home, where Paps cooks elaborate Puerto Rican meals and Ma plays with the brothers. There is a large backyard, and at one point Paps digs a trench in it. The brothers share a room, with Joel and the narrator in one bed and Manny in another.

The Brewery

Ma works at the brewery on the hill near their neighborhood. The narrator never describes it, but he closely observes the way that it changes Ma after her long night shifts. When she comes home, she is exhausted, and she eagerly peels off her work clothes in...