A review by daisywilkins
Paradais by Fernanda Melchor

dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The luxury housing estate, Paradais, becomes the scene of a gruesome scheme devised by two outcast teenagers, sex-obsessed Franco and tired Polo, who feel they are deserving of the things they desire.

This short piece packs a punch - a classic Melchor punch of a grim and brutal depiction of toxic masculinity and a fragile society. There’s a lot of parallels with Hurricane Season throughout - difficult relationships between mothers and their children, lives governed by poverty, misogyny and violence against women. It’s hard to feel any sympathy for Franco and Polo in Paradais, but I couldn’t help but feel for Polo and his relationship to his mother - it’s just so sad.

While Melchor’s works adopt really graphic and sometimes disturbing themes, there’s something so addictive about her style. Her writing is so lyrical and powerful, charged with so much emotion and anger that it’s impossible to put down. I’m yet to find another author like her.

Melchor should come with a trigger warning, so do check these out before reading her work. Paradais is really not for the faint-hearted!
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