Symphony in White
This is the story (trans. Sarah Green) of a family, two daughters and their parents, trying to come to terms with their individual demons: the mother, her strange wasting illness; the father, his alcoholism; the elder daughter, her submissive nature; and the younger daughter, her willfulness. Set in Brazil, the narrative moves the reader back and forth over the course of a generation, weaving in the perspectives of each family member as well as those particularly touched by the family drama: a lover, a husband, a maid, a child, and an elderly aunt. This is not a linear story, but a series of vignettes pieced together to reveal what cannot be uttered.
Despite its pervasive sadness, I found this novel hard to put down. It is full of well crafted metaphors and visual descriptions that are enough to transport the reader without distracting from the story. I especially liked the way the story was told, like a bad memory you had forgotten until you were older and capable of syncretizing it with all your other memories. However, I’m not sure I’d categorize this novel as historical fiction as the story is not grounded in a particular time and place. Though this is a Brazilian story by a Brazilian author, the story is universal and, while this makes it particularly accessible to non-Brazilian readers, the reader hoping to learn something about Brazilian history might be disappointed.
