Welcome to Litsy!

My first story set in Brazil and I loved it! André lives a privileged life in Rio together with his father, brother and two maids (empregadas), Rita and Luana. While Rita is like a mother to him, he desires Luana…

There are clear disparities of class and race in this story. I enjoyed this read as it provided an intimate look into a relationship between the empregadas and the employers, although, the story is explicitly from André‘s perspective.

Dr. André Cabral is a Brazilian-born man living in London. Life is peachy until he gets a letter from his ex-girlfriend Luana, who he's not heard from in 30 years. He‘s a wealthy son and she‘s the maid‘s daughter. Even though he's moved away from Brazil, he is still haunted by his summer of unrequited love and this letter stirs up 30-years worth of repressed emotions. And then things get crazy. Has anyone else read it? - A⠀
Revised for TW incest.

TW: Incest

Incest storylines are a hard pass for me. My bigger issue with this book though is that it feels like it's written by a dudebro who is well aware of the privilege of his gender and social status and exploits that power dynamic. There's definitely some internalized misogyny here. I think there are better ways to explore flawed characters without using women as a plotline for a middle-aged man's reminiscence.

Happy @DeweysReadathon friends! This is my fourth time and I'm winging it without a TBR, but I'm so grateful for this 24 hour bubble of books and nerds and joy. Hope everyone has a good time.

#readathon #rahrahreadathon

Stunning. Strong. Enchanting. (Haunting.)

"The past has a certain scent, don't you think?"

A steady flow of stream of consciousness leads you into the rich family's hidden history. André's memories are uncertain/pliable. His mother died and everything's changed.

Classism & racism smack the reader in the face as a major theme throughout but second to the tribulations of trying to love family.

All in all a lovely ride. Would read again.

I realized that there are no beginnings, there are no endings, other than the beginning and end of your life.
💔

Even with the garden lit up, the river is black and endless. No line between sky and water. I don't say what's on my mind. I can feel my heart again. We drink beer and I watch [my daughter] smoke a cigarette. I know that she smokes because I sometimes smell it on her but I've never seen it myself.

There are worse things in life than smoking when you're 19, and few better.

I don't ask for a drag.

My current read is by a #SouthAmericanAuthor and takes place in part in Brazil. Two sons following their father on holiday to his hometown outside of Rio after their mother died suddenly.

Beautiful writing so far ☺️

#fallintobooks

André is a privileged Brazilian boy whose mom died in a crash & whose dad is a distant workaholic. In Brazil, André lusts after their maid's daughter Luana, raising issues w privilege & race bc she is Black & he is White. Sauma juggles his youth & later life in London when he creates marital tension after receiving letters from Luana. Sauma's voice is magical, giving her characters a sense of place & exploring race, money, family & grief. ??

Friday night relaxing. Had to pick this up on cover alone. I'm loving the author's voice so far—I can really her a sense of the atmosphere she's creating. I know nothing else about this book, so I hope I like the rest of it as well! ☕️ #booksnbucks

Thank you @ScribnerBooks for the free copy for me to review. All opinions are genuine and my own. Sauma does incredible job getting you invested in the story then ripping the rug right under you just as it's ripped out from under André. Fast paced, page turning, Brazilian soap opera that will leave you stunned.
4⭐️‘s

I'm might legitimately be the most predictable person on the planet

Beautiful cover=shut up and take my money

I actually don't think this pic is doing the cover any justice *sigh*

Afraid to say anything about this book for fear that anything I say might be a spoiler alert 😂 so I'll just say this; definitely a page turner, definitely a summer read and good luck with not feeling FOMO for laying on a beach in Brazil lol

The book cover is gorgeous!!! I wanted to like this novel much more than I did. My main problem is that Andre is unlikeable. He is young and selfish, but he never really develops into a likeable adult either (as we're seeing both the older and younger Andre). What I loved was the lush Brazilian setting and descriptions. It was perfect summer reading. The writing is well done and the book reads fast, although it was heavy on the sex/language for me

"Will I ever swim here again? No. Just in my dreams."

Can't wait to read this one!
Set in contemporary London and 1980s Rio de Janeiro, it's a story of André, a successful London Doctor who is mysteriously separated from his beloved English wife Esther. Their estrangement began shortly after André started receiving letters from Brazil, where he was raised in privileged splendor until he left abruptly some 30 years ago. The shocking reason for his departure is the central mystery of this debut.

Thanks @ScribnerBooks #giveaway #schoolsoutforsummer

I enjoyed reading this debut novel about a complex love story which has a tremendously gripping twist.

Not a bad read but I was a bit disappointed as I feel it could have been amazing 3⭐️ review on seeorange.wordpress.com

Short novel about a man in London looking back 30 years to his teen years in Brazil. A well-written story, but the plotting was a bit disappointing #netgalley

Saturday morning in Seattle.