The Only Happy Ending for a Love Story Is an Accident (Brazilian Literature in Translation Series #4)

J. P. Cuenca, Elizabeth Lowe (Translated by)

$19.95

Publication Date: October 1st, 2013

Publisher:

Tagus Press

ISBN:

9781933227542

Pages:

136

Description

Set in Tokyo, in a not-too-distant future, this novel tells the story of Shunsuke, a salaryman, and his complicated relationship with his mad poet father, Mr. Okuda, whose hobby is spying on his son. When Shunsuke falls in love with Iulana, a maelstrom of jealousy is set in motion that culminates in abduction and death. In poetic and imaginative language, Cuenca subtly interweaves reality and fiction, creating a dreamlike world whose palpable characters, including a silicone doll, leave a lasting impression. Written like a crime novel, full of odd events and reminiscent of Haruki Murakami's work, this disturbing, kaleidoscopic story of voyeurism and perversion draws the reader in from the very first page.

About the Author

J. P. CUENCA is the author of Body Present and The Mastroianni Day. He was selected by Granta for The Best of Young Brazilian Novelists and was named one of the thirty-nine highest-profile Latin American writers under the age of thirty-nine. ELIZABETH LOWE is professor and director of the Center for Translation Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign.

Praise for The Only Happy Ending for a Love Story Is an Accident (Brazilian Literature in Translation Series #4)

"A real treat."—Jornal de Negócios

"With his third novel, João Paulo Cuenca confirms his status as a rising star of Brazilian literature."—Courrier International

"The rising star of Brazilian literature is J. P. Cuenca. He has liberated Brazilian literature from its atavistic tendencies and opened up worlds that its writers have never adventured into before."—André Clavel, L'Express

"Insightful yet relentless: A novel about Japan that easily matches Haruki Murakami's mastery. Not every author is granted the skill to unveil the cultural code of a foreign world the way Cuenca does."—Marko Martin, Deutschlandradio Kultur

"There is one young author I really like: J. P. Cuenca."—Chico Buarque