전체 공개 ・ 2025.11.01
2025.11.01 (Sat)
A thought-provoking novel, full of controversy and social criticism. It captivates from beginning to end, although it's not one of my favorites by Machado. It offers a profound insight into the cultural context in which it is presented and written, and raises debates that are still very relevant in present-day Brazil. There are also some scenes that I found a little uncomfortable and that gave me a negative perspective, not on the work itself, but on how I was receiving the events. (Here's a link to my work on it, I did it last year and haven't touched it since, because if I did, I'd want to change everything with my perfectionism.)
What you say about the solitary life is very fair, but impractical. Our friends wouldn't come to see us; and could we do without them? That's my aunt's opinion and mine. The best thing of all is this middle ground in Andaraí; we're neither outside the world nor in the middle of it.
I don't know what fear is," she interrupted naively. "Fear? Fear is a prejudice of the nerves. And a prejudice can be undone; simple reflection is enough. When I was little, I was raised with souls from the other world. Until I was ten years old, I was incapable of entering a dark room. One day I asked myself if it was possible for a dead person to return to earth. To ask the question and to answer it were the same thing.
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