Crosses above the water - Joaquín Gajegos Lara

Category: Short Story and Novel Author: Joaquín Gajegos Lara Publisher: Al Riwaq for Publishing and Distribution Year of Publication: 2026 Number of Pages: 432 Cover Design: Cardboard In the heart of "Guayaquil," the city that kneads its daily bread with sweat and tears, a cry is born from among the shanties of the poor. There, fate meets Alfredo Baldioun, the wild spirit who discovers the world of manhood early, and Alfonso Cortes, the dreamy soul who chases the magic of music amidst the rubble of misery. It is a story of friendship that grew in the muddy alleys of "Al Madfa'iya," and defied oppression with hearts that knew no bowing until that fateful day. That novel is the pain of memory that refuses to forget; where black crosses sway every year over the river waves, guarding the spirits of the martyrs whose bellies were pierced with spears so they could disappear into the depths, yet they continued to float above the face of history as solid wooden prayers, reminding the world that justice does not die as long as someone places flowers of remembrance on the water.