So it doesn't end so soon

A novel narrated by time, Para não acabar tão antes , by Clarice Freire, explores women's relationship with aging and the cycles of life, in a courageous and moving combination.

"Not to End So Soon" is the debut novel by Clarice Freire, an author and visual artist from Pernambuco, known for her project "Pó de Lua" (Moon Powder). The book tells the story of two elderly sisters—Augusta and Lia—with distinct lives and personalities, whose relationship is unexpectedly transformed when they wake up one morning with rejuvenated bodies. Augusta is the older sister, grumpy, and possessed of a sometimes suffocating care. In this role as guardian of the past and control, she finds herself confronted with the uncertainty and mysteries of her new condition. Lia, on the other hand, a rebellious and passionate soul, upon regaining the movement of her legs that morning, wants to make the most of it and quench her thirst for life.

The relationship between the sisters is both unique and universal. But there's an even more unique element in "It Doesn't End So Soon" : the narrator of this story is Time itself, which is also responsible for the upheaval in these ladies' lives. We follow how Augusta and Lia deal, each in their own way, with the actions and passage of Time—an eccentric, non-linear, poetic, sarcastic, sensitive, mischievous, and compassionate narrator and character.

Clarice Freire's writing is inventive and carries with it many poetic traits. In her prose debut, we experience, especially from a female perspective, the passage of time, the complexity of aging, and the constant rediscovery—with Lia, Augusta, and Time—of the mysteries and meanings of life.

"A surprising narrative, vibrant in both content and form. Clarice Freire [...] offers a compelling plot by telling the story of two sisters facing old age and its inexorable consequences. One day, one of them wakes up and finds herself in the mirror with a face that isn't hers. Or rather, a face that was once hers. From this trigger, the reader is invited into a sensitive and electrifying adventure." - Micheliny Verunschk