Paradais

Paradais (originally titled Páradais in Spanish) is a novel by Mexican author Fernanda Melchor. It was published in its original Spanish in 2021 by Literatura Random House.[3] An English translation by Sophie Hughes was published in 2022 by Fitzcarraldo Editions and New Direction Books.

Paradais
First edition cover
AuthorFernanda Melchor
Original titlePáradais
TranslatorSophie Hughes
CountryMexico
LanguageSpanish
PublisherLiteratura Random House
Publication date
2 February 2021[1]
Published in English
23 March 2022[2]
Media typePrint (paperback)
Pages200
ISBN978-607-31-8797-8
OCLC1179050066
863/.7

Benjamin P. Russell of the Houston Chronicle described the novel as a "commentary on" the "often haunting facts" of Mexico, stating "a more incisive commentary [...] would be hard to find."[4]

This was the second Melchor novel to receive an officially published English translation.[5]

Contents

The setting is the gated community Paradais, located in the state of Veracruz. The novel is about a teenage duo, Franco Andrade and Leopoldo "Polo" García Chaparro,[6] who do criminal activity together.[7]

Characters

Franco, who lives in Paradais,[6] has the nickname "fatboy".[8] Franco is from a wealthy family, has little social success. Franco wants to have intercourse but has not found a willing female partner.[7] Gabriella Martin of Harvard Review wrote that Franco is "Exhibiting all the qualities of a classic “incel,”[...]"[8] Franco's father is a lawyer.[6] Franco has a sexual obsession with Señora Marián.[8]

Polo is from a low socioeconomic background and works at Paradise by gardening. Polo, who did not graduate from senior high school,[8] is 16 years old.[6] Justin Torres of The New York Times compared Polo to Bigger Thomas.[7]

Señora Marián is married to a television host and has two children. She lives adjacent to Franco.[8]

Reception

Justin Torres of The New York Times stated that the work is "seductive" despite the "unbroken wall of text" that makes a "visual effect", and he praised the work of the translator for showing "vitality of the prose".[7] The English translation of the novel was longlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize.[9]

See also

References
  1. "Páradais". Penguin Libros (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  2. "Paradais". Fitzcarraldo Editions. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  3. "Páradais / Paradise". Penguin Random House. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  4. Russell, Benjamin P. (2022-05-25). "Mexican author Fernanda Melchor explores the human capacity for violence, and grace". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  5. Pressly, Lowry (2022-05-23). "In the Tongue a Knife, in the Knife a Tongue: On Fernanda Melchor's "Paradais"". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  6. McGee, Marcus (2022-08-28). "A Beautiful and Terrible Paradise: On Fernanda Melchor's "Paradais"". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  7. Torres, Justin (2022-05-10). "Inside a Gated Paradise, Evil Breeds and Strikes". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  8. Martin, Gabriella. "Paradais". Harvard Review. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  9. "The 2022 International Booker Prize". thebookerprizes.com.

Further reading
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