A review by serendipitysbooks
Paradais by Fernanda Melchor

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

4.0

 Paradais also involves a pair of characters who feel dissatisfied with their lives. In this case they are a pair of teenage boys who are willing to take whatever action is needed to get what they want. Polo works as a gardener’s assistant in a luxury housing complex. He’s desperate for money and the freedom it will offer him. Franco lives in the complex with his grandparents. What he wants is to have sex with one of his married neighbours with whom he is obsessed. Over stolen whisky they hatch a plan they believe will get them what they want. Spending time with these two was not a pleasant experience - their sense of entitlement, their self-justification, the gross objectification of women’s bodies and the fat phobia precluded that. But the writing was compelling and the story highlighted important issues such as social and economic inequalities, sexism and toxic masculinity. The ending was not surprising, but horrifying all the same. Deeply disturbing and unforgettable. 
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