Author | Fernanda Melchor |
---|---|
Original title | Páradais |
Translator | Sophie Hughes |
Country | Mexico |
Language | Spanish |
Publisher | Literatura Random House |
Publication date | 2 February 2021 [1] |
Published in English | 23 March 2022 [2] |
Media type | Print (paperback) |
Pages | 200 |
ISBN | 978-607-31-8797-8 |
OCLC | 1179050066 |
863/.7 |
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.
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]
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]
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]
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]