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'Zesty' Daily Mail
'A real gem of a book' Stylist
A wickedly funny tale of two rebellious sisters in 1940s Rio de Janeiro
Euridice is bright and ambitious. But this is Brazil in the 1940s, and society expects her to be a loving wife and mother. While Antenor is busy congratulating himself on his excellent catch, Euridice spends her humdrum days ironing his shirts and removing the lumps of onion from his food, dreaming of the success she could have made of herself - as a writer, dressmaker or culinary whizz - in another life.
Her free-spirited sister Guida, on the other hand, is the kind of person who was 'born knowing everything'. When she returns from her failed elopement with stories of heartbreak and loss, the lives of Euridice and her husband are thrown into confusion, with disastrous consequences.
The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao is a darkly comic debut, bursting with vibrant Brazilian spirit and unforgettable characters - a jubilant novel about the emancipation of women.
About the author
Martha Batalha studied journalism and literature in Brazil, working first as a reporter before starting her own publishing company. The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao is her first novel. Martha lives in Santa Monica, California, with her husband and two children.
Eric M. B. Becker is editor of world literature journal Words Without Borders and a translator of literature from Portuguese into English. He lives in New York.
Summary
A wickedly funny tale of two rebellious sisters in 1940s Rio de Janeiro
Additional text
'A remarkable narrative.'
Report
'This zesty Brazilian debut has the same brightly coloured quality as a folk painting... A novel that brims indeed with invisible life - not just Euridice's, but the dreams of an entire cast of women: housewives, daughters, and the forsaken who fall in between.'
Daily Mail
