The nightstand

It all begins with an invitation to the opening of a small antique shop. Fernando would have thrown the invitation away if it weren't for the intriguing name: Noite-Mudo (Nightstand). The owner, he recognizes, is Andrea, the lead actress in the only film he directed. The two go out for coffee. Casually, Fernando asks where such a curious name came from. The question is innocent. The answer is simple: a reference to the old nightstand, one of the many pieces of furniture he inherited from his great-aunt, along with a farm full of old memories. Guilhermina was her name. As conversation goes on, however, Guilhermina reveals herself to be much more than a deceased, wealthy great-aunt. A young widow, she shaped her life of travel, romance, and adventure around a single event: the death of her first husband. Death of hunger and thirst, locked in the cellar of his mansion. Death caused by her. THE NIGHTSTAND is a delightful exploration of the art of storytelling. Guilhermina reveals herself little by little, in a literary patchwork constructed by Andrea's account, with the affection of a great-niece, and Fernando's investigations, in an insatiable thirst to solve the mystery of that fascinating, adventurous, romantic, and murderous woman. Who was Guilhermina, after all? What did she want? Edgard Telles Ribeiro's debut novel, O CRIADO-MUDO, was originally conceived as a film for Eduardo Escorel. Although it was developed into a novel, it still retains cinematic characteristics. The book was first published in 1991 and is now re-released by Editora Record.