Fernanda Torres

Fun But Hard to Keep Characters Straight

"The End" by Fernanda Torres tells the story of five men who came of age in '60s Rio de Janeiro. The men are all arrogant pleasure-seekers who care little for anyone else. Supposedly friends, they all have intertwining rivalries and relationships that never get sorted out. This makes the book read like a great soap opera.

Amid descriptions of youthful sexual indulgences, readers are given small tastes of what aging might be like. These glimpses of aging, however, are few and far between. The bulk of the book is about the men's sexual conquest's, drug use, and eventual divorces. I found Torres' insights about aging to be very smart, but they were rare.

There are occasional run-ins with artifacts from Rio's heyday. The names of brilliant singers are dropped throughout the novel, as her encounters with bikini beach culture.

Fernanda Torres is a fun writer and the translation by Alison Entrekin flows very, very well. Unfortunately, the books biggest problem is that it is difficult to keep the characters and their families straight. Perhaps this points more toward the faults of a poor reader than anything else.… (más)

O livro narra a estória de vida e morte de 5 amigos/companheiros. Cada capítulo corresponde a momentos específicos de um personagem e sua visão íntima da vida, que se mistura a visão que os outros têm a seu respeito. As estórias são bem interessantes, mas me senti assistindo um filme brasileiro, com a enorme quantidade de palavrões vomitadas pelos personagens.
Fernanda descreve cada personagem mostrando o início da amizade, a vida de casado, a separação, a infidelidade, a permanência em um casamento morto, tudo isso em um enredo ora engraçado, ora triste, mas de uma realidade que se pode pensar em qualquer um desses personagens como pessoas reais.… (más)