Synopses & Reviews
From Brazils most acclaimed young novelist, the mesmerizing story of how a troubled young mans restorative journey to the seaside becomes a violent struggle with his familys past
So why did they kill him?
Im getting there. Patience, tchê. I wanted to give you the context. Because its a good story, isnt it?
A young mans father, close to death, reveals to his son the true story of his grandfathers death, or at least the truth as he knows it. The mean old gaucho was murdered by some fellow villagers in Garopaba, a sleepy town on the Atlantic now famous for its surfing and fishing. It was almost an execution, vigilante style. Or so the story goes.
It is almost as if his father has given the young man a deathbed challenge. He has no strong ties to home, he is ready for a change, and he loves the seaside and is a great ocean swimmer, so he strikes out for Garopaba, without even being quite sure why. He finds an apartment by the water and builds a simple new life, taking his fathers old dog as a companion. He swims in the sea every day, makes a few friends, enters into a relationship, begins to make inquiries.
But information doesnt come easily. A rare neurological condition means that he doesnt recognize the faces of people hes met, leading frequently to awkwardness and occasionally to hostility. And the people who know about his grandfather seem fearful, even haunted. Life becomes complicated in Garopaba until it becomes downright dangerous.
Steeped in a very special atmosphere, both languid and tense, and soaked in the sultry allure of south Brazil, Daniel Galeras masterfully spare and powerful prose unfolds a story of discovery that feels almost archetypala display of storytelling sorcery that builds with oceanic force and announces one of Brazils greatest young writers to the English-speaking world.
Review
Dwight Garner, The New York Times:
“Mr. Galera has a lovely sense of the rhythms of beach town life in the off season, the salty air and the diesel fishing boat motors and sun that burns off the morning chill… Like his narrator, hes a lover as much as a fighter, and his novel is seductive. Its got a tidal pull. Blood-Drenched Beard also has a terrific ending. Its one that suggests, sometimes at least, that peace, love and understanding are vastly overrated.”
Grantland:
“Daniel Galera offers a clever twist on the naive-sleuth trope, and one that leads to a number of strange and often funny confrontations.”
Outside Magazine:
“Brilliant prose from a big-deal translator.”
DuJour:
“Both languid and tense.”
Shelf Awareness:
“Atmospheric, multi-layered and poetic, Galera certainly makes a splash with Blood-Drenched Beard, and the ripples will surely affect all they touch.”
Kirkus Reviews:
“Altogether impressive novel by a young writer ….Galera writes lyrically of a land of jungle and beach, even when the mood turns Hitchcock-ian….An elegant, literate and literary mystery of appearances and disappearances.”
Booklist:
“Full of more than just mystery. Galera uses his heros condition to ruminate on relationships and his search into the past to contemplate beliefs about individuality and connectedness….an intriguing novel from a celebrated Brazilian author.”
Publishers Weekly:
“Galeras keen sense of characters and unflinching depictions of the sometimes awkward desperation of coastal life ground the story and give it a gritty feel that is consistently satisfying.”
Library Journal:
“The talented Galera, evidently highly regarded in his native Brazil, invests the mystery/quest structure of this novel with abundant colorful and lively details.”
About the Author
Daniel Galera is a Brazilian writer and translator. He was born in São Paulo, but lives in Pôrto Alegre, where he has spent most of his life. He has published four novels in Brazil to great acclaim, the latest of which,
Barba Ensopada de Sangue (
Blood-Drenched Beard), was awarded the 2013 São Paulo Literature Prize. In 2013
Granta named Galera one of the Best Young Brazilian Novelists. He has translated the work of Zadie Smith, John Cheever, and David Mitchell into Portuguese.
Alison Entrekin translates Brazilian literature. Her works include City of God by Paulo Lins; The Eternal Son by Cristovão Tezza, shortlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award; Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector, shortlisted for the PEN America Translation Prize; and Budapest by Chico Buarque, shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.