Cinzas Do Norte

I had heard radio feature about him and I liked the topic of the novel. Since I am living in Brazil it was even more interesting to see the Brazilian dictatorship from treated in an artistic manner. Big themes build the background of the war between a son who is driven by art and his father who wants to see him as successor in the business. The big themes are: the dictatorship itself and how it shaped the Brazilian society until today, the destruction of the traditional cities and neighborhood in the name of progress, chance of the poop people, the treatment of indigenous people, and how the destruction of the Amazon started. Last but not least the family drama: destruction of a once prosperous family, betrayal, intrigues, survival, addiction to alcohol and gambling, death and raise of others. Most parts play in Manaus – the capital of the Amazon – many of the regional words I could not understand in Portuguese, but I really enjoyed the book.