Perdition

One of the most talented contemporary Brazilian authors, a unique short story writer and a master of dialogue, Luiz Vilela is also capable of a language that impresses with its incisive tone. Sought after in second-hand bookshops, he has gained cult status precisely because of the rarity with which he presents the public with his collections and novels. After "Bóris e Dóris," an unpublished novel that marked his debut on Record, he returns with the highly anticipated "Perdição." A novel divided into three chapters—"O Rapaz dos Peixes," "Pastor das Almas," and "Não" (The Boy of the Fishes," "The Shepherd of Souls," and "None"—and narrated by Ramon, a journalist for the daily newspaper in Flor do Campo, a typical small town in the interior of Minas Gerais, it blends colorful stories about the origins of the place and its most emblematic characters and myths. Such as the legends of the monsters Moçalinda, Paupudo, and the Giant Snake, who inhabited the lake that bathes the town and provided sustenance for generations of fishermen. A former Portuguese teacher, Ramon changed careers after being invited by Carlos Barroso, the Admiral, who decided to found the newspaper after having already done every crazy thing a man could do in life. Except run a newspaper. A sarcastic and atheist columnist, he talks about everything and everyone, while sharing the spotlight with Leo, a childhood friend who becomes a fisherman without knowing how to swim. After years of abundance, a shortage of fish threatens the small town. Unsure of what to do with his life, Leo decides to turn to God. Co-opted by the Worldwide Church of the Lord Jesus, he moves to Rio de Janeiro. Handsome and charismatic, he experiences fame and wealth. His wife, dazzled by the city and the power of money, loses herself in shopping, beaches, and beauty salons. The marriage declines, and with it, Leo's morale. Outside the Church, without family or faith, he experiences poverty and madness. Returning to his homeland, he ends up in a mental institution. He has no choice but to let himself sink into the lake—a dramatic return to the origins he has renounced. Perdição is a dense, contemporary, and disturbing novel. Further proof of Vilela's skill in dissecting the most intimate dreams and yearnings of human beings.