3.5 Stars
Brazilian coming of age story that's characterizations and setting shine.
This is a fun ride, but don't spoil it by reading too many reviews because once you know where it's going the power is diminished.
Dual timeline of a boy and the man he becomes. We interlope on a childhood filled with the reckless endeavors and feats of worth that ensure blood, pain, and admiration. Hermano's viewpoint is extremely self-conscious, always judging himself by looking from the outside, an adolescent paralysis--can't act without prejudging the outcome. The reader feels the disembodiment.
We begin the journey with a wild and ill-advised bike ride through the neighborhood, Esplanada. It's a colorful journey with all the attributes that give it a distinct flavor: cachaça, reckless disregard for trespassing, black magic shrines, cultural observances, and the wildness of an unscripted youth. Life uncaged, with all the joys and dangers it entails. And I loved this because it reminded me of my childhood in the Caribbean. So, there is a definite sense of armchair traveler associated with the storytelling.
The flip side of the story is the wild and ill-advised climb up the unknown mountain. How does the man resemble his youth. How do confidants affect us, and how does our inner drive motivates us, makes us choose A or B? Do we change or merely repeat?
This went from reminiscent and idyllic, even in its broken parts, to ominous and foreboding. The tension ramped up, and suddenly, adrenaline was flowing. I'll be honest, the acceleration in the last third of the book is where the power lies. All that came before are the trickles leading to a raging river. You sense the potential for something big to happen, but you're not sure where or how.
I recommend this for those who enjoy reading transformative moments when childhood is abandoned and the mantle of adulthood taken.
Advance Reader Copy, Due out August 15, 2017.
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