By Luiza Sauma
This novel takes place in Brazil and London. Andre is a young boy who grows up in a privileged family in Brazil, with a doctor father and a brother. His mother died when he was nine years old. They always have servants, and one of the servants is a beautiful young woman who Andre falls in love with, and they have a secret affair, as white people often do with their coloured servants. Of course Luana gets pregnant, and dad helps "get rid of" the baby, or at least that's what Andre thinks happened.
Thirty years later, Andre is a doctor in London, newly separate from his wife, when letters start arriving from Luana. Finally, Andre returns to Brazil to see Luana and the whole truth comes out. Luana is actually his half sister, as his father had an affair with her mother. Their baby was never aborted, and Luana raised him until his death at twenty-six by drowning.
In some ways a predictable story, but in other ways, there were surprises.
It was interesting to read about life in Brazil, how the rich lived, descriptions of Ipanema, Copacabana, and the crumbling colonial ways of life. An easy read.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Yes.
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