Brazilian-born doctor André Cabral is living in London when one day he receives a letter from his home country, which he left nearly thirty years ago. A letter he keeps in his pocket for weeks, but tells no one about.
The letter prompts André to remember the days of his youth - torrid afternoons on Ipanema beach with his listless teenage friends, parties in elegant Rio apartments, his after-school job at his father's plastic surgery practice - and, above all, his secret infatuation with the daughter of his family's maid, the intoxicating Luana. Unable to resist the pull of the letter, André embarks on a journey back to Brazil to rediscover his past.
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[Andre, a few weeks ago, I looked you up online for the first time]***
(Viking, 23 February 2017, copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed)
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This is my first time reading the author.
I enjoyed this novella. It's the kind of book it's easy to get lost in and hours passed as I was submerged in André's world.
I liked the simple premise of Flesh and Bone And Water, a letter triggers memories of the past and old wounds and regrets are torn open. The premise is simple yet the story told is haunting and took my breath away at times.
I loved the way the book is structured, moving from the present when André's careful, calculated life is thrown into chaos and the past events that have haunted him all of his life. The alternating storylines are written well and I liked the way things unfold.
The language used is beautiful, rich and vivid and made reading Flesh and Bone and Water sheer pleasure.
I enjoyed then way the novel explores the contrasts of race and class.
