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Perfect Days
A twisted young medical student kidnaps the girl of his dreams and embarks on a dark and delirious road trip across Brazil in the English-language debut of Brazil's most celebrated young crime writer.
Teo Avelar is a loner. He lives with his paraplegic mother and her dog in Rio de Janeiro, he doesn't have many friends, and the only time he feels honest human emotion is in the presence of his medical school cadaver—that is, until he meets Clarice. She's almost his exact opposite: exotic, spontaneous, unafraid to speak her mind. An aspiring screenwriter, she's working on a screenplay called Perfect Days about three friends who go on a road trip across Brazil in search of romance. Teo is obsessed. He begins to stalk her, first following her to her university, then to her home, and when she ultimately rejects him, he kidnaps her and they embark upon their very own twisted odyssey across Brazil, tracing the same route outlined in her screenplay. Through it all, Teo is certain that time is all he needs to prove to Clarice that they are made for each other, that time is all he needs to make her fall in love with him. But as the journey progresses, he digs himself deeper and deeper into a pit that he can't get out of, stopping at nothing to ensure that no one gets in the way of their life together. Both tense and lurid, and brimming with suspense from the very first page, Perfect Days is a psychological thriller in the vein of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley—a chilling journey in the passenger seat with a psychopath, and the English language debut of one of Brazil's most deliciously dark young writers.
Teo Avelar is a loner. He lives with his paraplegic mother and her dog in Rio de Janeiro, he doesn't have many friends, and the only time he feels honest human emotion is in the presence of his medical school cadaver—that is, until he meets Clarice. She's almost his exact opposite: exotic, spontaneous, unafraid to speak her mind. An aspiring screenwriter, she's working on a screenplay called Perfect Days about three friends who go on a road trip across Brazil in search of romance. Teo is obsessed. He begins to stalk her, first following her to her university, then to her home, and when she ultimately rejects him, he kidnaps her and they embark upon their very own twisted odyssey across Brazil, tracing the same route outlined in her screenplay. Through it all, Teo is certain that time is all he needs to prove to Clarice that they are made for each other, that time is all he needs to make her fall in love with him. But as the journey progresses, he digs himself deeper and deeper into a pit that he can't get out of, stopping at nothing to ensure that no one gets in the way of their life together. Both tense and lurid, and brimming with suspense from the very first page, Perfect Days is a psychological thriller in the vein of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley—a chilling journey in the passenger seat with a psychopath, and the English language debut of one of Brazil's most deliciously dark young writers.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published March 18, 2014
About the author
Raphael Montes
17 books1,564 followersLawyer and writer Raphael Montes was born in 1990, in Rio de Janeiro. His short stories have been published in several mystery anthologies, as well as magazines.
At the age of 20, he impressed critics and public alike with Roulette (Editora Benvirá), an action-packed crime novel that was a finalist in the 2010 Benvirá Literature Prize, the Brazilian National Library’s 2012 Machado de Assis Prize and the prestigious 2013 São Paulo Literature Prize, and has sold over 15 thousand copies.
At 24, he published his second novel, Perfect Days (Companhia das Letras), which has been phenomenally successful: translation rights have been sold to 13 territories (USA, Canada, England, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Turkey, Holland, Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan) and it occupied bestseller lists for many weeks.
At the age of 20, he impressed critics and public alike with Roulette (Editora Benvirá), an action-packed crime novel that was a finalist in the 2010 Benvirá Literature Prize, the Brazilian National Library’s 2012 Machado de Assis Prize and the prestigious 2013 São Paulo Literature Prize, and has sold over 15 thousand copies.
At 24, he published his second novel, Perfect Days (Companhia das Letras), which has been phenomenally successful: translation rights have been sold to 13 territories (USA, Canada, England, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Turkey, Holland, Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan) and it occupied bestseller lists for many weeks.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,635 reviews
June 1, 2023
solidly disturbing, twisty little road trip into hell.
September 7, 2018
He felt bad: it was the first time he had thought of himself as a villain. By stuffing Clarice in a suitcase and bringing her home, had he become a criminal?
this is a play on the abduction thriller which morphs into a , and it features teo, one of those "he puts the anti- in antihero" narrators who is somewhere on the spectrum, or who at the very least knew how to keep his feelings separate, which transforms his kidnapping of clarice, a girl he will make love him back one way or another, into high comedy through the magic of flat-affect and skewed perspective.
supposedly.
i don't love this one as much as other people do.
i just never warmed to the character. obviously, there's a stiffness and a remove to his tone on account of his limited emotional range, but even apart from his character, there's a pronounced tendency towards stylized prose that makes the book read more posed than dynamic, and i've never been a fan of stilted, overfussed prose.
She opened her eyes and glared at him. "Do you really think you love me?"
"Yes."
"What you feel is infatuation. It's an illness, an obsession. It's anything but love."
"I don't believe in the taxonomical classification of emotions, Clarice."
She shook her head and retreated back into silence.
and maybe the translation has something to do with it; maybe it's better in the original portuguese and yadda yadda, but it's just so frequently flat and dead on the page:
He rested against the railing in the prow, thinking about many things and the consequences of those things.
feel free to make this sentence more interesting, mad libs-style:
(man's name) rested against the (noun) in the (noun), (verb/ing) about many (plural noun) and the (plural noun) of those (plural noun).
i acknowledge that this is funnier than most books in which a woman is kidnapped, drugged, stuffed into a suitcase, and then wooed with an engagement ring, due to teo's propensity for understatement and misplaced social cues:
"Liar! All you've done is lie from the start!" she said, hunched over in the armchair. Her head was between her knees, bobbing up and down with her sobs. Her spinal vertebrae moved under her skin like a snake. Clarice had lost around nine pounds over the last few days. She was skeletal but still beautiful. If he could paint, he'd have painted a portrait of that moment. He considered going to get his camera but thought it might be offensive.
his inability to read a situation properly:
Suddenly, Clarice jumped on Teo. She scratched him and tried to bite him. She hit him in the face with the pillow. Teo held her wrists and managed to handcuff her. He was most annoyed at her actions. She was proving to be quite uncouth.
or to perceive reality:
Teo tried to give her space. He knew she wouldn't hold out for long. Couples always made up.
his poor grasp of the nuances of love and sex and women:
Slowly, Clarice was opening up to him; she liked him. It was natural - she didn't have anyone else. He nourished her, gave her love and attention. The least he could expect in return was a subtle form of affection, which would soon grow stronger - he was certain. At the end of the day, even hippie feminists succumbed to real men. Good sex was an exchange. Before having sex with Clarice (something he had imagined was unpleasant for any woman), he had gone to the trouble to satisfy her.
and his norman bates-caliber mommy issues.
there's an additional nod to Psycho, in that teo's most meaningful (and thankfully nonsexual) relationship up to this point was with a corpse; his medical cadaver gertrude. but teo is most assuredly not a psycho himself.
we know because he tells us so.
He didn't want to come across as sick or a psycho. With time, he'd prove to Clarice that she was wrong. He was incapable of abusing her: he lacked the animal instinct that men received at birth. This was just one of his qualities. If there were more people like him, the world would be a better place.
okay, he's maybe a little self-delusional, but definitely not a psycho!
He placed Clarice back in the larger suitcase. It was amazing how flexible she was and how she folded up so easily, like a little travel toothbrush.
hmm. well.
The insults kept coming. The sweet, hoarse voice was the same, the gestures too, but she was another woman. That wasn't his Clarice.
He took another step forward, needing to shut her up. He picked up the book and slammed it down violently on her head. Clarice against Clarice. He hit her a few more times until she was quiet.
goodness, that's no way to treat a clarice lispector book! or someone named clarice. or, you know, anyone.
besides Psycho, there are also shoutouts, either implicit or explicit to The Collector, Misery, The Silence of the Lambs, and the frequently-mentioned Lolita, although rest assured - the girl in this book has reached the age of consent. even though she doesn't. consent.
it does, however, mirror Lolita's dirty-boy road trip as well as the shifting of the power dynamic between the two and it's ultimately much more disturbing than Lolita. and yet somehow also less interesting.
having said that, i will confess that my jaw did - literally - drop once, and i was like
but apart from that, there isn't anything that's going to lodge permanently in this high-tolerance-for-depravity brain of mine.
it's not unendurable or even unenjoyable, but it's not my preferred style of writing, which pretty much casts a pall over the entire book.
but i'm in the minority on this one, so have at it.
come to my blog!
this is a play on the abduction thriller which morphs into a , and it features teo, one of those "he puts the anti- in antihero" narrators who is somewhere on the spectrum, or who at the very least knew how to keep his feelings separate, which transforms his kidnapping of clarice, a girl he will make love him back one way or another, into high comedy through the magic of flat-affect and skewed perspective.
supposedly.
i don't love this one as much as other people do.
i just never warmed to the character. obviously, there's a stiffness and a remove to his tone on account of his limited emotional range, but even apart from his character, there's a pronounced tendency towards stylized prose that makes the book read more posed than dynamic, and i've never been a fan of stilted, overfussed prose.
She opened her eyes and glared at him. "Do you really think you love me?"
"Yes."
"What you feel is infatuation. It's an illness, an obsession. It's anything but love."
"I don't believe in the taxonomical classification of emotions, Clarice."
She shook her head and retreated back into silence.
and maybe the translation has something to do with it; maybe it's better in the original portuguese and yadda yadda, but it's just so frequently flat and dead on the page:
He rested against the railing in the prow, thinking about many things and the consequences of those things.
feel free to make this sentence more interesting, mad libs-style:
(man's name) rested against the (noun) in the (noun), (verb/ing) about many (plural noun) and the (plural noun) of those (plural noun).
i acknowledge that this is funnier than most books in which a woman is kidnapped, drugged, stuffed into a suitcase, and then wooed with an engagement ring, due to teo's propensity for understatement and misplaced social cues:
"Liar! All you've done is lie from the start!" she said, hunched over in the armchair. Her head was between her knees, bobbing up and down with her sobs. Her spinal vertebrae moved under her skin like a snake. Clarice had lost around nine pounds over the last few days. She was skeletal but still beautiful. If he could paint, he'd have painted a portrait of that moment. He considered going to get his camera but thought it might be offensive.
his inability to read a situation properly:
Suddenly, Clarice jumped on Teo. She scratched him and tried to bite him. She hit him in the face with the pillow. Teo held her wrists and managed to handcuff her. He was most annoyed at her actions. She was proving to be quite uncouth.
or to perceive reality:
Teo tried to give her space. He knew she wouldn't hold out for long. Couples always made up.
his poor grasp of the nuances of love and sex and women:
Slowly, Clarice was opening up to him; she liked him. It was natural - she didn't have anyone else. He nourished her, gave her love and attention. The least he could expect in return was a subtle form of affection, which would soon grow stronger - he was certain. At the end of the day, even hippie feminists succumbed to real men. Good sex was an exchange. Before having sex with Clarice (something he had imagined was unpleasant for any woman), he had gone to the trouble to satisfy her.
and his norman bates-caliber mommy issues.
there's an additional nod to Psycho, in that teo's most meaningful (and thankfully nonsexual) relationship up to this point was with a corpse; his medical cadaver gertrude. but teo is most assuredly not a psycho himself.
we know because he tells us so.
He didn't want to come across as sick or a psycho. With time, he'd prove to Clarice that she was wrong. He was incapable of abusing her: he lacked the animal instinct that men received at birth. This was just one of his qualities. If there were more people like him, the world would be a better place.
okay, he's maybe a little self-delusional, but definitely not a psycho!
He placed Clarice back in the larger suitcase. It was amazing how flexible she was and how she folded up so easily, like a little travel toothbrush.
hmm. well.
The insults kept coming. The sweet, hoarse voice was the same, the gestures too, but she was another woman. That wasn't his Clarice.
He took another step forward, needing to shut her up. He picked up the book and slammed it down violently on her head. Clarice against Clarice. He hit her a few more times until she was quiet.
goodness, that's no way to treat a clarice lispector book! or someone named clarice. or, you know, anyone.
besides Psycho, there are also shoutouts, either implicit or explicit to The Collector, Misery, The Silence of the Lambs, and the frequently-mentioned Lolita, although rest assured - the girl in this book has reached the age of consent. even though she doesn't. consent.
it does, however, mirror Lolita's dirty-boy road trip as well as the shifting of the power dynamic between the two and it's ultimately much more disturbing than Lolita. and yet somehow also less interesting.
having said that, i will confess that my jaw did - literally - drop once, and i was like
but apart from that, there isn't anything that's going to lodge permanently in this high-tolerance-for-depravity brain of mine.
it's not unendurable or even unenjoyable, but it's not my preferred style of writing, which pretty much casts a pall over the entire book.
but i'm in the minority on this one, so have at it.
come to my blog!
January 16, 2022
Hello, you.
......Oh wait, this story isn't about Joe Goldberg. It's about a young Brazilian man named Teo Avelar.
Teo, a med school loner, meets Clarice at a bbq and immediately develops an unhealthy obsession with her. During a short period of time following their encounter; Theo manages to stalk her, get rejected by her, and then kidnap her. The way it's narrated and Theo's thought process throughout runs perfectly parallel to You. Seriously, the vibes were so similar... I loved it.
My thoughts the entire time were pretty much: "holy shit, Teo is absolutely delusional." He was so confident that what he was doing would work out in the end. That Clarice was falling in love with him. Even when Clarice was completely miserable he would convince himself that she was doing it out of love. His demeanour & thoughts often made me feel quite uneasy. His confidence in himself made me uncomfortable. And around page 195 he did something extremely sinister & cruel it made a huge wave of anxiety rush over me, which I'm still feeling right now.
There were a few things about it that kind of threw me off. The formatting of the screenplay was one, but that was a minuscule part of the novel. The relationship with Clarice's parents nearing the end just didn't seem realistic. And everything to do with his own Mom & their dog really upset me. But overall, I thought this book was amazing. If you are a fan of mysteries and/or psychological thrillers then this is a book for you!
ALSO, HELLO Dexter!!! (& that's all I will say on that topic as I don't like giving spoilers in my reviews).
......Oh wait, this story isn't about Joe Goldberg. It's about a young Brazilian man named Teo Avelar.
Teo, a med school loner, meets Clarice at a bbq and immediately develops an unhealthy obsession with her. During a short period of time following their encounter; Theo manages to stalk her, get rejected by her, and then kidnap her. The way it's narrated and Theo's thought process throughout runs perfectly parallel to You. Seriously, the vibes were so similar... I loved it.
My thoughts the entire time were pretty much: "holy shit, Teo is absolutely delusional." He was so confident that what he was doing would work out in the end. That Clarice was falling in love with him. Even when Clarice was completely miserable he would convince himself that she was doing it out of love. His demeanour & thoughts often made me feel quite uneasy. His confidence in himself made me uncomfortable. And around page 195 he did something extremely sinister & cruel it made a huge wave of anxiety rush over me, which I'm still feeling right now.
There were a few things about it that kind of threw me off. The formatting of the screenplay was one, but that was a minuscule part of the novel. The relationship with Clarice's parents nearing the end just didn't seem realistic. And everything to do with his own Mom & their dog really upset me. But overall, I thought this book was amazing. If you are a fan of mysteries and/or psychological thrillers then this is a book for you!
ALSO, HELLO Dexter!!! (& that's all I will say on that topic as I don't like giving spoilers in my reviews).
November 2, 2015
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK....
What would it say about me if I recommend this book to my friends?
Probably in good conscience, I should never suggest this book to anybody...
However, you should see me over here, I'm still laughing silly.
I just finish reading "Perfect Days", by Raphael Montes, Brazilian Crime novelist,
seconds ago.
I suppose it's suppose to be 'chilling' and 'creepy'...but I found it hilarious!!
SOOOOOO OUT OF THE BOX... I just had to laugh.
After reading the first chapter - and learning that Teo, ( medical student), was in love with Gertrude ( a corpse), ... a brilliant first chapter it was, if one is willing to look at it this way: 'brilliant - as in WEIRD - brilliant'.....
I 'had' to turn to my husband, (lucky for me he was home), and share what I had just read.
He laughed and said...."keep me posted on this one".
NOTE: I was a Kinesiology major at Cal many moons ago - had worked on cadavers - so, so far I wasn't squeamish about anything in the Science lab.
Moving on to Chapter 2... "Goody, more characters...real people". Teo is in his early
20's , interested in pathology, a loner, a virgin, awkward, ( obviously), and lives with
his mother a paraplegic ( of course). Isn't the story getting good already?
Just wait...the fun hasn't even started...
Teo meets Clarice.
Teo likes Clarice
Teo 'takes' Clarice....(just like you might take an apple from the fridge)
I actually happened to have kinda adored these two main characters.
Off they go to the lake.. ( where the fun kicks into high gear)
Where other people may find this book disgusting..,I found it charming in a satire-way!
WHAT THIS BOOK IS NOT
....GONE GIRL ... This Brazilian author has a unique style very much his own.
ADDED ENJOYMENT FOR TWO:
....This book takes on a different flavor when you start reading parts of it out loud to your partner - ( groups of friends would add more flavor yet)
LOVED IT ....in a crazy - insane - way!
Thank You Penguin Press, Netgalley, and Raphael Montes ( what else ya got up your sleeve?....I may be interested!) :)
What would it say about me if I recommend this book to my friends?
Probably in good conscience, I should never suggest this book to anybody...
However, you should see me over here, I'm still laughing silly.
I just finish reading "Perfect Days", by Raphael Montes, Brazilian Crime novelist,
seconds ago.
I suppose it's suppose to be 'chilling' and 'creepy'...but I found it hilarious!!
SOOOOOO OUT OF THE BOX... I just had to laugh.
After reading the first chapter - and learning that Teo, ( medical student), was in love with Gertrude ( a corpse), ... a brilliant first chapter it was, if one is willing to look at it this way: 'brilliant - as in WEIRD - brilliant'.....
I 'had' to turn to my husband, (lucky for me he was home), and share what I had just read.
He laughed and said...."keep me posted on this one".
NOTE: I was a Kinesiology major at Cal many moons ago - had worked on cadavers - so, so far I wasn't squeamish about anything in the Science lab.
Moving on to Chapter 2... "Goody, more characters...real people". Teo is in his early
20's , interested in pathology, a loner, a virgin, awkward, ( obviously), and lives with
his mother a paraplegic ( of course). Isn't the story getting good already?
Just wait...the fun hasn't even started...
Teo meets Clarice.
Teo likes Clarice
Teo 'takes' Clarice....(just like you might take an apple from the fridge)
I actually happened to have kinda adored these two main characters.
Off they go to the lake.. ( where the fun kicks into high gear)
Where other people may find this book disgusting..,I found it charming in a satire-way!
WHAT THIS BOOK IS NOT
....GONE GIRL ... This Brazilian author has a unique style very much his own.
ADDED ENJOYMENT FOR TWO:
....This book takes on a different flavor when you start reading parts of it out loud to your partner - ( groups of friends would add more flavor yet)
LOVED IT ....in a crazy - insane - way!
Thank You Penguin Press, Netgalley, and Raphael Montes ( what else ya got up your sleeve?....I may be interested!) :)
March 10, 2017
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Might as well go ahead and file this one under “that awkward moment when a book about a nutter who kidnaps the girl of his dreams isn’t quite weird enough to please me” . . .
Perfect Days had a ton of potential. I mean the very first chapter started off by explaining how medical student Teo has made besties for the resties with a fellow classmate named Gertrude. The only problem? Gertrude is the cadaver . . .
Ahhhh, quit being such a stiff! It’s not like they had the smexy relations.
The story goes on to show Teo meeting the female lead, Clarice, for the first time. The two exchange pleasantries at a party, Teo ummmmm acquires Clarice’s number and he sets his sights on making sure another meet-cute happens in the future. When Clarice isn’t appreciative of Teo’s advances, he realizes it’s just because she needs more time to get to know him. He’s nothing if not a real giver, so he arranges a romantic getaway for the two of them and refuses to take no for an answer . . . .
The remainder of the story is how Teo and Clarice’s relationship ummmmmm evolves over time . . .
And here’s the part where I become kind of a butthole. I liked Teo and his tale of Perfect Days just fine – I just didn’t like like it. I mean, obviously I enjoy nutty stories and dark subject matter and I 100% saw the pitch-black humor that was contained within the pages of this book . . .
“On days when Clarice was in a bad mood, he avoided being around her. He suspected she might have some sort of bipolar disorder, that it was pathological.”
^^^^Hehehehe. That’s good stuff. Unfortunately, there was something missing in this one and I have to blame it on a man named Joe . . .
If you have alreadyfallen in some form of creepy, deranged love with met Joe, you’ll totally understand. If you haven’t met Joe, you should make it a priority to do so ASAP. When writing about a despicable character and taboo subject matter, an author reaaaaaaally needs to be willing to go there. He or she has two options: (1) Write the most horrible person you can that your readers will love to hate (Brett Easton Ellis and Herman Koch are farkin’ EXPERTS at this) or (2) Write the most horrible person you can and make your readers fall in love with him (see Joe above and also Dexter). Whichever path is chosen, the plot HAS. TO. GO. THERE. There can be no pause, no break in momentum, the story simply has to be balls to the wall with crazy. Bottom line, as bizarre as it may sound, Perfect Days just didn’t go far enough for me.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
Might as well go ahead and file this one under “that awkward moment when a book about a nutter who kidnaps the girl of his dreams isn’t quite weird enough to please me” . . .
Perfect Days had a ton of potential. I mean the very first chapter started off by explaining how medical student Teo has made besties for the resties with a fellow classmate named Gertrude. The only problem? Gertrude is the cadaver . . .
Ahhhh, quit being such a stiff! It’s not like they had the smexy relations.
The story goes on to show Teo meeting the female lead, Clarice, for the first time. The two exchange pleasantries at a party, Teo ummmmm acquires Clarice’s number and he sets his sights on making sure another meet-cute happens in the future. When Clarice isn’t appreciative of Teo’s advances, he realizes it’s just because she needs more time to get to know him. He’s nothing if not a real giver, so he arranges a romantic getaway for the two of them and refuses to take no for an answer . . . .
The remainder of the story is how Teo and Clarice’s relationship ummmmmm evolves over time . . .
And here’s the part where I become kind of a butthole. I liked Teo and his tale of Perfect Days just fine – I just didn’t like like it. I mean, obviously I enjoy nutty stories and dark subject matter and I 100% saw the pitch-black humor that was contained within the pages of this book . . .
“On days when Clarice was in a bad mood, he avoided being around her. He suspected she might have some sort of bipolar disorder, that it was pathological.”
^^^^Hehehehe. That’s good stuff. Unfortunately, there was something missing in this one and I have to blame it on a man named Joe . . .
If you have already
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
August 20, 2017
Good concept. Terrible execution.
The writing was very... lacking. There was barely any characterization beyond villain and victim. There was ZERO tension. Things just happened without any build up. It was so straightforward that it kind of felt like reading a murderer's to-do list. There was no surprise to anything and I couldn't get invested or root for anything/anyone. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and it never did. There was one attempt at a twist that reversed itself within 20 pages, and nothing ever provided any true conflict. The scene transitions were also non existent. Teo would be in the kitchen cooking and suddenly we get descriptions of something happening in another room because he'd walked into that room without the author telling us. This happened several times. I thought the writing issues were a fault of the translation (I read the English version) but have heard from others that these things are true in the original as well.
HUGE content warning for just about everything. Violence and gore, sexism, homophobia, rape, suicide references, tons of ableism. Because this is very close 3rd person following a villain, this didn't bother me too much because he's supposed to be awful, you're supposed to dislike him and think he's wrong. But other characters reinforce a lot of ableist ideas in particular. And the ending basically rewards all of these behaviors. (Which granted, I think is pretty common in the horror genre because it's unsettling, but I felt so unfulfilled. Perhaps I just don't like the horror genre?)
As far as comparisons to You, they are very fitting. Except this main character has much less personality, and it doesn't have the edge of being told in 2nd person. If you hated the main character in You, you will probably equally hate this one. If you loved You, this may not live up to it. It didn't for me at least.
The only good thing I can say about this book is that it was compulsively readable. I read it quickly, although I did want to DNF it a couple of times and nothing paid off for me in the end. I think the concept was intriguing and might be more enjoyable to other readers. This just wasn't the type of thriller I prefer. I need much more tension and conflict.
The writing was very... lacking. There was barely any characterization beyond villain and victim. There was ZERO tension. Things just happened without any build up. It was so straightforward that it kind of felt like reading a murderer's to-do list. There was no surprise to anything and I couldn't get invested or root for anything/anyone. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and it never did. There was one attempt at a twist that reversed itself within 20 pages, and nothing ever provided any true conflict. The scene transitions were also non existent. Teo would be in the kitchen cooking and suddenly we get descriptions of something happening in another room because he'd walked into that room without the author telling us. This happened several times. I thought the writing issues were a fault of the translation (I read the English version) but have heard from others that these things are true in the original as well.
HUGE content warning for just about everything. Violence and gore, sexism, homophobia, rape, suicide references, tons of ableism. Because this is very close 3rd person following a villain, this didn't bother me too much because he's supposed to be awful, you're supposed to dislike him and think he's wrong. But other characters reinforce a lot of ableist ideas in particular. And the ending basically rewards all of these behaviors. (Which granted, I think is pretty common in the horror genre because it's unsettling, but I felt so unfulfilled. Perhaps I just don't like the horror genre?)
As far as comparisons to You, they are very fitting. Except this main character has much less personality, and it doesn't have the edge of being told in 2nd person. If you hated the main character in You, you will probably equally hate this one. If you loved You, this may not live up to it. It didn't for me at least.
The only good thing I can say about this book is that it was compulsively readable. I read it quickly, although I did want to DNF it a couple of times and nothing paid off for me in the end. I think the concept was intriguing and might be more enjoyable to other readers. This just wasn't the type of thriller I prefer. I need much more tension and conflict.
February 7, 2017
Mais um livro lido do moço Raphael!
Eu confesso que a escrita desse livro me prendeu bastante. Mais do que Jantar Secreto, que é o livro mais recente, mas que li antes deste. A narração é em terceira pessoa, mas muito conduzida pelo ponto de vista do Theo, que é um cara LOKO. E pra mim isso foi o mais interessante, acompanhar como a cabeça dele torce e retorce todas as informações externas. Eu senti ódio por ele o tempo TODO.
Claro, já conhecendo a escrita do Raphael, eu sei que o que ele gosta de causar na gente é desconforto. E desconforto é o que você vai sentir o tempo inteiro nesse livro, mais ainda pro final, e não por ser nojento como foi Jantar Secreto, mas por ser perturbador. Não é o tipo de história que tem uma superação, que o bem vence o mal ou algo do tipo. O Raphael não se importa com os seus sentimentos nem com o que você quer que aconteça no final. Tudo que ele puder fazer pra te deixar irritado, com nojo, tenso, ele vai fazer! E eu acho isso muito corajoso e vejo que ele é bem sucedido nessas escolhas.
Minha maior irritação, OBVIO, foi que quando Clarice assume o controle da situação, o tempo foi tão curto que não deu pra saborear, eu só ficava gritando TUA BURRA, FAZ MAIS COISA.
A sensação que eu tenho ao terminar o livro é: KD MINHA JUSTIÇA? Não espere isso do livro, migos. Meu único problema com a narrativa que me fez tirar 1 estrela foi que eu achei que tinham muitas pontas soltas na trajetória criminosa do Theo e foi difícil acreditar que a história acabaria realmente como acabou. Fora isso, super recomendo!
Eu confesso que a escrita desse livro me prendeu bastante. Mais do que Jantar Secreto, que é o livro mais recente, mas que li antes deste. A narração é em terceira pessoa, mas muito conduzida pelo ponto de vista do Theo, que é um cara LOKO. E pra mim isso foi o mais interessante, acompanhar como a cabeça dele torce e retorce todas as informações externas. Eu senti ódio por ele o tempo TODO.
Claro, já conhecendo a escrita do Raphael, eu sei que o que ele gosta de causar na gente é desconforto. E desconforto é o que você vai sentir o tempo inteiro nesse livro, mais ainda pro final, e não por ser nojento como foi Jantar Secreto, mas por ser perturbador. Não é o tipo de história que tem uma superação, que o bem vence o mal ou algo do tipo. O Raphael não se importa com os seus sentimentos nem com o que você quer que aconteça no final. Tudo que ele puder fazer pra te deixar irritado, com nojo, tenso, ele vai fazer! E eu acho isso muito corajoso e vejo que ele é bem sucedido nessas escolhas.
Minha maior irritação, OBVIO, foi que quando Clarice assume o controle da situação, o tempo foi tão curto que não deu pra saborear, eu só ficava gritando TUA BURRA, FAZ MAIS COISA.
A sensação que eu tenho ao terminar o livro é: KD MINHA JUSTIÇA? Não espere isso do livro, migos. Meu único problema com a narrativa que me fez tirar 1 estrela foi que eu achei que tinham muitas pontas soltas na trajetória criminosa do Theo e foi difícil acreditar que a história acabaria realmente como acabou. Fora isso, super recomendo!
March 7, 2022
This book is creepy and outrageous at the same time. The main character is a sick piece of work and assholes like him shouldn’t be allowed to walk among us.
Teo is a young medical student who kidnapped Clarice, an aspiring screenwriter—the girl of his dreams. Drugged and sedated, he kept her in a pink suitcase and took her on a twisted journey across Brazil, in the hopes of making her fall in love with him. (Seriously?)
Sick, right? Just reading the premise makes me squirm with disgust and contempt for the male character. I was intrigued so I had to take a dip but this is just an awful read for me.
It hasn’t been an hour since I read it and I have almost forgotten what the story is all about. I’m gonna put this book in the “awful” box, close the lid and completely forget about it.
Teo is a young medical student who kidnapped Clarice, an aspiring screenwriter—the girl of his dreams. Drugged and sedated, he kept her in a pink suitcase and took her on a twisted journey across Brazil, in the hopes of making her fall in love with him. (Seriously?)
Sick, right? Just reading the premise makes me squirm with disgust and contempt for the male character. I was intrigued so I had to take a dip but this is just an awful read for me.
It hasn’t been an hour since I read it and I have almost forgotten what the story is all about. I’m gonna put this book in the “awful” box, close the lid and completely forget about it.
March 9, 2024
تيو هو طالب في كلية الطب ، معمل التشريح هو ميدانه ،ويحمل حباً كبيرا لأفضل صديقاته " جيرترود " . وبالمناسبة جيرترود هي الجثة التي يتعلمون عليها في معمل التشريح 🙃😉
" هو يشعر يالحرية حول النقالات المتناثرة، والجثث المشرحة ، والاطراف والأعضاء التي في القوارير .إحساس لا يمكن أن يجده في اي مكان آخر . لقد احب رائحة الفورمالين ، والادوات التي يستخدمها والقفاز الطبي و جيرترود التي ترقد هناك على الطاولة "
هذا هو تيو الذي يعيش مع والدته المقعدة والكلب سامسون .
ثم بالصدفة يلتقي كلاريس التي تبدأ في محادثته فيجدها جريئة ومختلفة فيبحث ورائها ويعرف مواعيدها ويحاول التقرب للتعرف عليها.
تشاء الصدف ومراقبته ان يوصلها يوماً الى المنزل وهي مخمورة وبسبب علاقة كلاريس بأمها ستخبرها حين تسأل عن شخصيته انه حبيبها.
وكانت هذه هي غلطتها الكبري بعد خطأ التعرف عليه من الأساس طبعا😅
يظن تيو انه وجد غايته وامراة احلامه فيذهب بشوق وحماس لها . ظناً منه انها قالت انه حبيبها إعجاباً به . ليتفاجأ انه تقوم بتجهيز اشيائها للسفر والعمل على سيناريو .فيصارحها بإعجابه فتصدمه برفضها وأنها ليست معجبة به ولايمكن ان تفكر به . وهذا خطأ آخر فتيو ليس شخصاً عادياً يتقبل الرفض . فضربها حتى فقدت الوعي ثم وضعها في حقيبتها وغادر😎
فما رد فعل كلاريس حين تفيق ؟ وماذا سيفعل هذا السايكو المعتوه ؟!
" كان مستاء فلأول مرة يفكر في نفسه على أنه شرير. هل أصبح مجرماً لأنه وضع " كلاريس" في حقيبة وأحضرها إلى البيت؟ لم يتعمد هذا، وهو لا يريد اي فدية. هو فقط يريد الافضل ل " كلاريس" "
الرواية خفيفة كأسلوب . مستفزة ومثيرة للأعصاب والغضب كأحداث . جذبتني في البداية وبعدين حسيت بالملل شوية وبعدين رجعت اثارت اهتمامي وبعدها حسيت بمبالغة حبتين و تويست معجبنيش .
النهاية كانت غريبة وغير متوقعة ومستفزة وفيها نقطة مفهمتش جه الاسم ده على اى اساس . بس معجبنيش النهاية خالص او بمعنى أدق الصفحات اللى قبل النهاية.
تقييمي كان ٣ نجوم وجات النهاية نسفت نجمة .
٢٢ / ٥ / ٢٠٢٣
" هو يشعر يالحرية حول النقالات المتناثرة، والجثث المشرحة ، والاطراف والأعضاء التي في القوارير .إحساس لا يمكن أن يجده في اي مكان آخر . لقد احب رائحة الفورمالين ، والادوات التي يستخدمها والقفاز الطبي و جيرترود التي ترقد هناك على الطاولة "
هذا هو تيو الذي يعيش مع والدته المقعدة والكلب سامسون .
ثم بالصدفة يلتقي كلاريس التي تبدأ في محادثته فيجدها جريئة ومختلفة فيبحث ورائها ويعرف مواعيدها ويحاول التقرب للتعرف عليها.
تشاء الصدف ومراقبته ان يوصلها يوماً الى المنزل وهي مخمورة وبسبب علاقة كلاريس بأمها ستخبرها حين تسأل عن شخصيته انه حبيبها.
وكانت هذه هي غلطتها الكبري بعد خطأ التعرف عليه من الأساس طبعا😅
يظن تيو انه وجد غايته وامراة احلامه فيذهب بشوق وحماس لها . ظناً منه انها قالت انه حبيبها إعجاباً به . ليتفاجأ انه تقوم بتجهيز اشيائها للسفر والعمل على سيناريو .فيصارحها بإعجابه فتصدمه برفضها وأنها ليست معجبة به ولايمكن ان تفكر به . وهذا خطأ آخر فتيو ليس شخصاً عادياً يتقبل الرفض . فضربها حتى فقدت الوعي ثم وضعها في حقيبتها وغادر😎
فما رد فعل كلاريس حين تفيق ؟ وماذا سيفعل هذا السايكو المعتوه ؟!
" كان مستاء فلأول مرة يفكر في نفسه على أنه شرير. هل أصبح مجرماً لأنه وضع " كلاريس" في حقيبة وأحضرها إلى البيت؟ لم يتعمد هذا، وهو لا يريد اي فدية. هو فقط يريد الافضل ل " كلاريس" "
الرواية خفيفة كأسلوب . مستفزة ومثيرة للأعصاب والغضب كأحداث . جذبتني في البداية وبعدين حسيت بالملل شوية وبعدين رجعت اثارت اهتمامي وبعدها حسيت بمبالغة حبتين و تويست معجبنيش .
النهاية كانت غريبة وغير متوقعة ومستفزة وفيها نقطة مفهمتش جه الاسم ده على اى اساس . بس معجبنيش النهاية خالص او بمعنى أدق الصفحات اللى قبل النهاية.
تقييمي كان ٣ نجوم وجات النهاية نسفت نجمة .
٢٢ / ٥ / ٢٠٢٣
May 21, 2023
هكذا نرى العالم من وجهة نظر "السايكوباث"
تيو شاب يبدو لك طبيعي جدا بل ومهذب وناجح..
يقول لك ما تريد أن تسمعه ويجعلك تفعل ما يريدك أن تفعله لأنه يعلم الأصلح لك!
لا شئ سيمنعه من تعذيبك واختطافك ، لان "مصلحتك" تقتضي ذلك وإن اعترضت سيغضب لأنك ناكر للجميل..
"السايكوباث" ليسوا مرضى تستطيع معالجتهم بل لا أمل في ذلك هم من وجهة نظر أنفسهم طبيعيين والعالم من حولهم هو المختل..
العالم ملك لهم ، الجميع أغبياء عداهم ، هم فوق الجميع..
تسأل أحدهم هل قتلت ؟
فلسان حاله يقول نعم ولكن لدي أسبابي ، ولا أشعر ولو بقدر قليل من الندم ، ما فعلته كان حتمي!
القراءة الاولى تمت في تاريخ ١٤ سبتمبر ٢٠٢١
القراءة الثانية تمت بتاريخ ١٥ اكتوبر ٢٠٢٢
تيو شاب يبدو لك طبيعي جدا بل ومهذب وناجح..
يقول لك ما تريد أن تسمعه ويجعلك تفعل ما يريدك أن تفعله لأنه يعلم الأصلح لك!
لا شئ سيمنعه من تعذيبك واختطافك ، لان "مصلحتك" تقتضي ذلك وإن اعترضت سيغضب لأنك ناكر للجميل..
"السايكوباث" ليسوا مرضى تستطيع معالجتهم بل لا أمل في ذلك هم من وجهة نظر أنفسهم طبيعيين والعالم من حولهم هو المختل..
العالم ملك لهم ، الجميع أغبياء عداهم ، هم فوق الجميع..
تسأل أحدهم هل قتلت ؟
فلسان حاله يقول نعم ولكن لدي أسبابي ، ولا أشعر ولو بقدر قليل من الندم ، ما فعلته كان حتمي!
القراءة الاولى تمت في تاريخ ١٤ سبتمبر ٢٠٢١
القراءة الثانية تمت بتاريخ ١٥ اكتوبر ٢٠٢٢
November 10, 2019
فيديو مراجعتي عن الرواية على قناتي على يوتيوب
https://youtu.be/lbqejOHvZKU
https://youtu.be/lbqejOHvZKU
February 4, 2017
5.0 Stars Video Review: https://youtu.be/QOJ9r_UTbxo
I have always had a personal affinity for incredibly dark, disturbing suspense novels, particularly those involving kidnapping narratives. So it should be no surprise that I absolutely loved this sick story.
The translation was very well done with a taunt writing style. The plot itself was incredibly dark and disturbing, filled with morbid, visceral details. The story is told from the perspective of the story's antagonist, Tao, who is a disturbed, emotionally-stunted young man. While not a traditionally likable character, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading from his twisted perspective. I found him to be a complex, fascinating villain, who even manages to be sympathetic in moments. Tao could be considered an unreliable narrator, since the story is told through his deluded perspective, where he constantly misinterprets people's reactions and emotions.
This novel is actually fairly slow paced, only picking up towards the second half. Lacking in action, this should be considered more of a suspense novel, than a thriller. Yet, the intensity of the story itself kept me fully immersed and engaged throughout the entire reading experience. From the very first chapter, I was sucked into the dark narrative.
Despite loving this novel, I am cautious to recommend it to other people, because this it is certainly not for everyone. This book contains vulgar language, gruesome violence and sexually explicit material that will be triggering to sensitive readers. However, if you have similar preferences for creepy, bone-chilling stories and a high tolerance for disturbing subject matter, I highly encourage you to try Perfect Days for yourself. Just proceed with caution, because this author has a very twisted imagination. I hope more of Raphael Montes' writing is translated to English.
I have always had a personal affinity for incredibly dark, disturbing suspense novels, particularly those involving kidnapping narratives. So it should be no surprise that I absolutely loved this sick story.
The translation was very well done with a taunt writing style. The plot itself was incredibly dark and disturbing, filled with morbid, visceral details. The story is told from the perspective of the story's antagonist, Tao, who is a disturbed, emotionally-stunted young man. While not a traditionally likable character, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading from his twisted perspective. I found him to be a complex, fascinating villain, who even manages to be sympathetic in moments. Tao could be considered an unreliable narrator, since the story is told through his deluded perspective, where he constantly misinterprets people's reactions and emotions.
This novel is actually fairly slow paced, only picking up towards the second half. Lacking in action, this should be considered more of a suspense novel, than a thriller. Yet, the intensity of the story itself kept me fully immersed and engaged throughout the entire reading experience. From the very first chapter, I was sucked into the dark narrative.
Despite loving this novel, I am cautious to recommend it to other people, because this it is certainly not for everyone. This book contains vulgar language, gruesome violence and sexually explicit material that will be triggering to sensitive readers. However, if you have similar preferences for creepy, bone-chilling stories and a high tolerance for disturbing subject matter, I highly encourage you to try Perfect Days for yourself. Just proceed with caution, because this author has a very twisted imagination. I hope more of Raphael Montes' writing is translated to English.
May 15, 2019
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I'm going to be honest, I liked the beginning of this book twice as much as I liked the end, which I despised. The beginning of this book follows the typical "psycho becomes obsessed with a girl" formula, of books like Caroline Kepnes's YOU and John Fowles's THE COLLECTOR. Teo is a medical student who lives with his mom and is a Norman Bates psychotic stuffed shirt type, buttoned up with mommy issues and personal hang-ups. Luckily, he doesn't kill his mom in this one - but he does kill her dog (spoiler).
One day, he meets a carefree and beautiful bohemian type at a party. Her name is Clarice, which maybe is a nod to SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, as well, since Hannibal Lector was also a doctor. Clarice is writing a screenplay called Perfect Days, which sounds a bit like THE BEACH - it's about a bunch of flaky young women with issues who end up going on an adventure across Brazil with a mysterious and darkly handsome stranger.
Teo, naturally, falls in love with her - if by "love," you mean, he stalks her, drugs her, and then kidnaps her, taking her by force across the same road trip in her screenplay. He's determined to make her love him, but Clarice has an iron will and things take an odd turn after several weeks of captivity, when she seems to give in.
This is a brutal story and there's trigger warnings across the board. Apart from the druggings and abductions and animal death, there's also rape and medical gore and a whole bunch of unpleasant and disgusting narrative descriptions. I actually found myself cringing at certain points in the book, which I don't do too often, and haven't done since reading A LITTLE LIFE. I also didn't like the ending at all. Until I got to the end, I was going to praise this book for empowering the heroine, Clarice, and making her such a flawed and dimensional heroine, but the ending felt like a slap in the face. I'm not going to say anything else, but if you think you know what happens, you probably don't.
In the beginning of this book, I thought it would be an easy four stars. By the time the last sixty pages were rolling along, I was considering giving this book a two. I'll average them and give a three.
2.5 to 3 stars
February 10, 2017
Where's the zero star option? This book was awful. The actions of the characters were nonsensical and unrealistic. The dialogue was false and didn't sound like anybody I've ever heard speaking before. The storyline was ridiculously stupid. Did I say this book was terrible?
February 3, 2016
Oh my days. Well for a start that was a one sitting read it may take me WEEKS to recover from, secondly my best advice would be not to read TOO much about it until you read it. The small blurb in bold above is more than enough. Don’t let anything spoil it for you and I promise that there will be no spoilers in this. I’m going to talk about the reading of it much more than I am the plot of it…
A small plot soundbite – Teo falls in love and when his love is not returned in a way he deems appropriate he just simply takes matters into his own hands. She is the girl of his dreams and for Teo that is everything.
This book is super creepy in that very disturbing way that is spot on pitch perfect. It relies on the narrative of one character – Teo – and puts you firmly inside his very twisted and yet horrifically logical head. If ever there was a masterclass in how to construct a perfect psychological thriller you are looking at it right here. Not since Graeme Cameron’s “Normal” have I experienced such a mix of emotional highs and lows as I did whilst I was reading “Perfect Days”.
It is intensely addictive from first page to last and the tension never lets up and yet it also kind of gently rolls along in places. There are times you forget the terror and get caught out in the sunshine, and even have a laugh – then BANG back you are in that dark place again.
I was on the edge of yelling out and scaring the neighbourhood cats at several points in the storyline and there was one moment ONE MOMENT that I read with my mouth open screaming “NO NO NO” silently in my head. Somewhere deep down inside I’m going to be screaming NO at that moment for a very long time. It will haunt my dreams.
Perfect Days also manages a rare, unexpected and absolutely “perfect” ending – this is a journey that that will chew you up and spit you out the other side wondering what the heck just happened and have you looking around in a daze wondering where the world went. Seriously I’m considering never leaving the house again.
I’m a huge fan of this type of writing, where the boundaries are pushed a bit and some different paths are taken. This may be Raphael Montes first book that has been translated into English, I can only hope that our UK Publisher has signed up for everything he writes ever. Perfect Days was a reading experience. And that cover – it is beautiful, and spot on – it draws you into the novel but once you have read it you’ll look at it in an ENTIRELY different way. Trust me on that one….
A small plot soundbite – Teo falls in love and when his love is not returned in a way he deems appropriate he just simply takes matters into his own hands. She is the girl of his dreams and for Teo that is everything.
This book is super creepy in that very disturbing way that is spot on pitch perfect. It relies on the narrative of one character – Teo – and puts you firmly inside his very twisted and yet horrifically logical head. If ever there was a masterclass in how to construct a perfect psychological thriller you are looking at it right here. Not since Graeme Cameron’s “Normal” have I experienced such a mix of emotional highs and lows as I did whilst I was reading “Perfect Days”.
It is intensely addictive from first page to last and the tension never lets up and yet it also kind of gently rolls along in places. There are times you forget the terror and get caught out in the sunshine, and even have a laugh – then BANG back you are in that dark place again.
I was on the edge of yelling out and scaring the neighbourhood cats at several points in the storyline and there was one moment ONE MOMENT that I read with my mouth open screaming “NO NO NO” silently in my head. Somewhere deep down inside I’m going to be screaming NO at that moment for a very long time. It will haunt my dreams.
Perfect Days also manages a rare, unexpected and absolutely “perfect” ending – this is a journey that that will chew you up and spit you out the other side wondering what the heck just happened and have you looking around in a daze wondering where the world went. Seriously I’m considering never leaving the house again.
I’m a huge fan of this type of writing, where the boundaries are pushed a bit and some different paths are taken. This may be Raphael Montes first book that has been translated into English, I can only hope that our UK Publisher has signed up for everything he writes ever. Perfect Days was a reading experience. And that cover – it is beautiful, and spot on – it draws you into the novel but once you have read it you’ll look at it in an ENTIRELY different way. Trust me on that one….
March 16, 2017
5 Creepy and Addicting Stars
I remember getting an email about this book and I thought it wasn’t for me. I’m a romance reviewer. Then I kept on going back to this email and thought to myself, the summary sounded really good. After a few days I decided to give this book a go.
Perfect Days is a creepy, but addictive thriller book. I enjoyed every second of it and I read it one sitting. It had the perfect balance of dialogue to narrative writing to plot development. I was sucked in by the main character and I was a fan of the psycho. Because Teo Avelar is a psycho in my opinion, a justified psycho, but a psycho none the less.
Am I scaring you? Don’t be scared because it’s not a truly scary book. The thing I really liked about Perfect Days is that it was written from the mind of a kidnapper. It’s a third POV book, but Teo, the main character justifies all of his actions. And his actions are reasonable from his POV. I found this fascinating and interesting.
Teo is your average nerdy medical student. He doesn’t have ANY experience in the women department, but he’s loyal and very smart. He takes care of his mother who is in a wheel chair and he doesn’t date. He meets a nice girl and things start to spiral out of control.
She doesn’t want him, but Teo decides it’s not up to her to say no and so he accidently kidnaps her.
Gah, this book was a roller coaster of emotions. My heart was racing so fast as I was reading this book and I NEVER knew what was going to happen. To my surprise it’s a really fast pace book with tons of things going on.
Perfect Days isn’t for everyone, but it’s a book that a lot of people should take a chance on. It’s different, it’s witty and like I said a touch creepy.
It worked out for me and it might work out for you.
And here is what I have to say for the ending
A finish paperback was provided by Penguin and I volunteered to review
AMAZON
May 7, 2014
[CONTÉM SPOILERS]
A experiência me diz para jamais escrever sobre livros ruins. Mas a vaidade (o maior de todos os pecados!) me manda colocar alguns pingos nos is. No começo da semana, publiquei em algumas redes sociais um elogio rasgado ao escritor Raphael Montes e seu Dias Perfeitos. Tinha lido as primeiras trinta ou quarenta páginas do romance e me empolguei. Equivocadamente, claro. Este texto, portanto, é um esclarecimento e um pedido de desculpas.
Escrevo este texto também porque me sinto vítima de uma espécie de estelionato literário. Explico. Conheci Raphael Montes ao assistir ao Programa do Jô, onde ele foi anunciado como “revelação da literatura policial brasileira”. Ora, todos sabem que me interesso muito por literatura policial e lá fui eu conferir. Quanta ingenuidade, a minha! Dias Perfeitos não passa nem perto de ser um livro policial. É, no máximo, uma história de amor às avessas, com certa pretensão psicológica. Na verdade, trata-se de um amontoado de lugares-comuns. Dá pena.
O fato é que, iludido pela propaganda, ao começar a ler Dias Perfeitos, resolvi dar um desconto para o autor. Afinal, ele só tem vinte e três anos. Dava para perceber que a prosa dele amadureceria. Assim, o estilo meio infanto-juvenil nem me incomodou; o que começou a me incomodar mesmo foi a construção banal dos personagens e o enredo manuelcarleano. Dê um desconto, Paulo – eu dizia para mim mesmo, página após página.
E, para minha surpresa, o livro me cativou naqueles primeiros páginas em que Téo, o estudante de medicina evidentemente psicopata, torna-se obcecado por Clarice. O problema é que fiquei esperando que entrasse na narrativa o contraponto necessário a todo vilão, isto é, alguma forma de justiça. Página após página, fui ficando frustrado na mesma proporção em que os lugares-comuns se acumulavam: Téo mata o ex-namorado de Clarice, Clarice tenta se virar contra Téo, mas a arma está descarregada, Clarice e Téo sofrem um acidente de carro e ela perde a memória…
Raphael Montes, coitado, é mais um autor-vítima desta tendência brasileira à descrença na justiça. O apego à infeliz verossimilhança só rende livros como Dias Perfeitos, que não se sustentam como literatura de qualquer tipo, muito menos policial. Ora, qualquer leitor de quinze anos sabe que a literatura policial existe para satisfazer nosso anseio por justiça. Qualquer coisa diferente disso é sociologia barata, se tanto.
Literatura policial é simples e complexa. Venho batendo nesta tecla desde 2008. Trata-se de uma fórmula que deve ser repetida. E, dentro desta fórmula, o autor tem que procurar ser o mais inventivo possível. Fugir à fórmula é suicídio literário – é burrice. Raphael Montes é jovem e parece ter talento o bastante para tentar retomar o rumo da sua prosa. Para, quem sabe, se tornar o que pretende ser: um verdadeiro escritor de romances policiais brasileiros.
Quanto a mim, prometo nunca mais elogiar ninguém, ainda que informalmente, depois de ler as primeiras páginas de um romance. E prometo também dormir mais cedo, não assistir a talk-shows e principalmente não acreditar em revelações literárias. Estou velho demais para isso.
A experiência me diz para jamais escrever sobre livros ruins. Mas a vaidade (o maior de todos os pecados!) me manda colocar alguns pingos nos is. No começo da semana, publiquei em algumas redes sociais um elogio rasgado ao escritor Raphael Montes e seu Dias Perfeitos. Tinha lido as primeiras trinta ou quarenta páginas do romance e me empolguei. Equivocadamente, claro. Este texto, portanto, é um esclarecimento e um pedido de desculpas.
Escrevo este texto também porque me sinto vítima de uma espécie de estelionato literário. Explico. Conheci Raphael Montes ao assistir ao Programa do Jô, onde ele foi anunciado como “revelação da literatura policial brasileira”. Ora, todos sabem que me interesso muito por literatura policial e lá fui eu conferir. Quanta ingenuidade, a minha! Dias Perfeitos não passa nem perto de ser um livro policial. É, no máximo, uma história de amor às avessas, com certa pretensão psicológica. Na verdade, trata-se de um amontoado de lugares-comuns. Dá pena.
O fato é que, iludido pela propaganda, ao começar a ler Dias Perfeitos, resolvi dar um desconto para o autor. Afinal, ele só tem vinte e três anos. Dava para perceber que a prosa dele amadureceria. Assim, o estilo meio infanto-juvenil nem me incomodou; o que começou a me incomodar mesmo foi a construção banal dos personagens e o enredo manuelcarleano. Dê um desconto, Paulo – eu dizia para mim mesmo, página após página.
E, para minha surpresa, o livro me cativou naqueles primeiros páginas em que Téo, o estudante de medicina evidentemente psicopata, torna-se obcecado por Clarice. O problema é que fiquei esperando que entrasse na narrativa o contraponto necessário a todo vilão, isto é, alguma forma de justiça. Página após página, fui ficando frustrado na mesma proporção em que os lugares-comuns se acumulavam: Téo mata o ex-namorado de Clarice, Clarice tenta se virar contra Téo, mas a arma está descarregada, Clarice e Téo sofrem um acidente de carro e ela perde a memória…
Raphael Montes, coitado, é mais um autor-vítima desta tendência brasileira à descrença na justiça. O apego à infeliz verossimilhança só rende livros como Dias Perfeitos, que não se sustentam como literatura de qualquer tipo, muito menos policial. Ora, qualquer leitor de quinze anos sabe que a literatura policial existe para satisfazer nosso anseio por justiça. Qualquer coisa diferente disso é sociologia barata, se tanto.
Literatura policial é simples e complexa. Venho batendo nesta tecla desde 2008. Trata-se de uma fórmula que deve ser repetida. E, dentro desta fórmula, o autor tem que procurar ser o mais inventivo possível. Fugir à fórmula é suicídio literário – é burrice. Raphael Montes é jovem e parece ter talento o bastante para tentar retomar o rumo da sua prosa. Para, quem sabe, se tornar o que pretende ser: um verdadeiro escritor de romances policiais brasileiros.
Quanto a mim, prometo nunca mais elogiar ninguém, ainda que informalmente, depois de ler as primeiras páginas de um romance. E prometo também dormir mais cedo, não assistir a talk-shows e principalmente não acreditar em revelações literárias. Estou velho demais para isso.
December 29, 2016
This clever and twisty Brazilian crime novel is a great and page-turning read. This type of 'domestic noir' is quite in vogue at the moment, and there are a couple of other excellent novels written in a similar vein recently; Lemaitre's Blood Wedding, and Fossum's I Can See In The Dark.
Brazil is a surprise addition to international crime noir fiction, but certainly a welcome one. Teodoro, a loner and medical student, living with his paraplegic mother, meets Clarice a socialite, and very much an opposite, and term is out for summer and Christmas break as they meet. Of course, all does not go well. Us readers of this sort of stuff wouldn't want it to either. This is a particularly strong and violent variety of noir though, so from my review at least, it comes with a Beware warning. But that's more of an attaction isn't it? Certainly Montes's creation of Teo is one of classic evil.
Brazil is a surprise addition to international crime noir fiction, but certainly a welcome one. Teodoro, a loner and medical student, living with his paraplegic mother, meets Clarice a socialite, and very much an opposite, and term is out for summer and Christmas break as they meet. Of course, all does not go well. Us readers of this sort of stuff wouldn't want it to either. This is a particularly strong and violent variety of noir though, so from my review at least, it comes with a Beware warning. But that's more of an attaction isn't it? Certainly Montes's creation of Teo is one of classic evil.
December 9, 2022
استغربت غياب علامة crime scene عالغلاف كعادة دار العربي في روايات الجرائم، خصوصاً مع بداية الرواية بتشريح جثة و عنوانها امرأة في حقيبة.
و بدأت في الرواية و احداث تجر أحداث و الحقيقة كلها احداث سواد علي دماغك يا مونتيز كالعادة🙆♀️
المرة دي اتمنيت مع بداية كل فصل يقتلها و لسوء حظها كل فصل كان اسوء من ما قبله و هو المتوقع من مونتيز🤷♀️
و ايضاً المتوقع من "تيو" المختل السيكوباتي. تيو طالب الطب ،أقرب اصدقائه هي جيرترود "جثة" 🥲 من سوء حظ "كلاريس" انها ستقابله في حفلة شواء و تبادر لتتعرف عليه
* ايوة كلاريس اللي بدأت و راحت برجليها*
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من هنا سيعجب بها تيو و لكن كلاريس حترفض حبه *عادي🤷♀️*
أما بالنسبة لتيو كشخص سيكوباتي فلأ مش عادي. حيقرر تيو يخطفها، املاً في محاولة اقناعها بحبه و انه جدير بها. المميز في تيو ثقته العالية في نفسه و تبريره لكل افعاله بدافع الحب بل و قدرته الشديدة علي الاقناع و التمثيل.
*توكسيك توكسيك يعني مفيش كلام*🙆♀️
و كونه طالب بكلية الطب فهو امتياز لتيو في كل شئ من الخطف للقتل للاقناع كشاب نزيه فوق الشبهات. شخص مثالي محب أهم ما يشغله مصلحة كلاريس و نجاحها و صحتها فلماذا ترفضه كلاريس 😒
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هل يقنع تيو كلاريس بحبه؟
هل تستسلم كلاريس ام تقاومه؟
كم ستصمد مقاومتها؟
و لأيهما الغلبة في النهاية؟
اسئلة بتدور حولها الرواية، و يتلاعب من خلالها مونتيز صعوداً و هبوطاً ليس بالحداث فقط بل بضغط القراء ايضاً🙆♀️
و بكدة تكون "امرأة في حقيبة" آخر قراءة لمونتيز حتي صدور ترجمات جديدة له. و سعيدة لاني تعرفت علي كاتب متميز في روايات الجرائم و الاثارة امتعني بخياله و خيب تخميناتي في كل روايته.
June 4, 2022
WOW. Think You by Caroline Kepnes, but darker. This one really surprised me.
September 11, 2023
بلا شك، الكاتب البرازيلي "رافاييل مونتيز" هو واحد من أهم كتاب الجريمة والإثارة والتشويق، فبعد تجربة جيدة جداً مع "امرأة في الظلام"، جاءت تجربة جيدة مع "امرأة في حقيبة" مع التأكيد أنه لا يزال عملي المفضل له حتى الآن هو "امرأة في الظلام"، فما الفارق بين الروايتين؟
في البداية، كل الأمور متشابهة، حبكة سريعة، شخصيات سيكوباتية، تقلبات مجنونة، وأحداث ستجعلك تلتهم الصفحات، المنطقية والاهتمام في التفاصيل بشكل عالي في البداية، حتى الثلث الأخير من الرواية، الذي ذهبت فيه المنطقية إلى الجحيم، حتى تلك المنطقية الخاصة بروايات الجريمة والإثارة، التي بكل تأكيد مختلفة عن منطقية الروايات الاجتماعية والدرامية مثلاً.
فالحكاية التي تبدأ مع "تيو" طالب الطب الذي وقع في غرام "كلاريس" الفتاة المثيرة ذات القوام الصغير، ولكنها بعدما أغوته، رفضته، فكيف يقبل شخص مثل "تيو" الرفض؟ فمثل هذه الكلمة غير موجودة بقاموسه، فتبدأ رحلة مجنونة ومتقلبة من إقناع "كلاريس" بأن تُحبه، بطُرق سيكوباتية، ومختلفة عما قرأته في أي رواية رومانسية مثلاً! طُرق الإقناع عند "تيو" جذرية، وصدقني تماماً في ذلك.
ودون الخوض في تفاصيل الأحداث والمخاطرة بحرقها، تتقلب الأحداث، وتأتي عند جزء معين تنقلب بالمعنى الحرفي، بشكل مُفاجئ، ولن تكون مُستعداً له، لتأتي النهاية، والتي كانت غير مُرضية على الإطلاق، غير منطقية، وليست على مستوى الأحداث، فأنا استطيع تقبل فكرة الشر المُطلق، ولكن لم يكن مكتوب بشكل جيد هذه المرة، في "امرأة في الظلام"، كانت الحبكة بإلتواءتها المُتعددة أكثر منطقية، وتنظيماً، ومبنية بشكل صحيح، وذلك ما جعلني أعقد المقارنات بين الروايتين، أن الكاتب نجح في الروايتين أن يجعلك تلتهم أكبر عدد مُمكن من الصفحات، وتلهث، وتُسرع، وحتى تبلع بعض الأحداث التي تحتاج وقفة، لمُجرد أنك تريد أن تصل إلى النهاية، وتفهم على أي جحيم ستنتهي حكايتنا؟
ختاماً..
رافاييل مونتيز كاتب برازيلي مجنون، يُجيد كتابة الروايات المبنية على الإثارة والتشويق، يُضيف إليها سودواية وسيكوباتية مُحببة، وشخصيات تنتظر إشارة البدء لتنشر شرها ونيرانها، فعلى الرغم من النهاية التي لم تنل رضاي تماماً، فهي تظل رواية جيدة، ستجعلك تُنهيها في أسرع وقت مُمكن، وستجعلك تنظر نظرة مختلفة تماماً إلى البشر من حولنا، فكم من وحش يتظاهر بأنه إنسان ونحن لا نُدري حقيقته.
يُنصح بها.
April 10, 2019
There were points at which this went very slowly, points where I knew what was bound to happen next, and points that seemed pointless to even have in the story.
But there were also points where I couldn't put it down and admittedly I'm always intrigued by a book that is so dark that it pushes the limits.
I'm not giving it 5 stars because of the first points but if you enjoy dark, twisted stories that will cause distrust of strangers then I highly recommend it.
But there were also points where I couldn't put it down and admittedly I'm always intrigued by a book that is so dark that it pushes the limits.
I'm not giving it 5 stars because of the first points but if you enjoy dark, twisted stories that will cause distrust of strangers then I highly recommend it.
August 2, 2020
Perfect Days is about Teo, a medical student who lives with his disabled mother. He meets Clarice, a flirty art student at a party and becomes obsessed with her. So he kidnaps her and attempts to make her love him. More things happen but I'm not going to get into spoilers here, apart from saying that there is a Twist™ and that I did not see it coming.
This book is gruesome. It's bloody but even worse, it's just plain creepy. As someone who loves talking to strangers, this is quite possibly one of my worst fears (the closest I've gotten to this book is that one time I spoke to this guy on the bus and a few hours later, he sent me a facebook friend request although I'm fairly certain I didn't say what my last name is or any other actual information. Then, in order to make it even creepier, he actually messaged me, "found you!").
Anyway, I could not stop reading this book. I don't read thrillers often so this jump into the genre was refreshing and fun. I just couldn't stop, I had to know exactly what happened. Terrible things kept coming and I just had to see how it would all be resolved.
This book does a great job with characterization. It focuses on Teo's inner monologue and does a believable job of portraying a mental ill and obsessive man. It's just the right amount of creepy in order to make this book scary and gross. You want to see Teo fail, you want to see Clarice win and man, this book was an emotional roller coaster.
Clarice, our other main character, is also quite a despicable person. She's not nearly as bad as Teo but in many ways, the fact that she's manipulative and selfish adds to the story because we're not entirely on her side. One of the things I liked about Clarice's character was that she wasn't stupid. By this, I mean that there's a troupe where the woman who gets attacked is just dumb. She doesn't realize she's being stalked, she gives away information too freely and it's irritating to read. Here, throughout the entire book, Clarice was aware. She was clever and saw things clearly. In many ways, it made this book even sadder because although she tried, it went down terribly. She constantly thought she had the upper hand and never did.
You is one of my favorite books. The superb writing has stayed with me for years ("In the cage, you feel loved, not trapped. Just like me.") and somehow, every time I read it, I find new things to appreciate. This definitely reminded me of you in the sense that it's a guy stalking a girl.
However, You was written by a woman while this was written by a man. I don't wish to add too much gender into everything but the similarities are striking and the differences are equally fascinating. Both authors describe the woman as flirty and carefree. They're both described as emotional and fickle and they're both failed writers. Joe's literary snobbishness seems equal to Teo's medical obsession. Both books have a scene where the guy sees the girl engage in a lesbian scene. Both books include an ex-boyfriend who is the opposite of the guy (a musician to Teo's medical training, an entrepreneur to Joe's used books).
However, Beck is constantly unaware of what's going on. Her self-centered behavior leads her to ignoring the issues of her life. She never really faces her psychological trauma but she's constantly dealing with it. In comparison, Clarice's self-centeredness leads her to being hyper-aware of what's going on. She knows exactly who Teo is but she's willing to engage with him (in the beginning). Clarice owns her sexuality while Beck has it imposed on her with dubious consent.
In conclusion, I don't have enough time to truly discuss why these differences matter or what can we learn about gender through this but in any case, this book is really interesting! Definitely recommend it if you are interested in a solid thriller and if you're up for some very gore filled scenes.
What I'm Taking With Me
- Well, this didn't encourage me to visit Brazil.
- And I read it late at night and had to spend time afterwards scrolling aimlessly through social media because I was concerned I'd dream about it.
- The real hero of this book is Clarice's mom.
SPOILERS:
I'm positive this book will anger people with disabilities. Many of the attitudes Teo portrays are just plain wrong. However, Teo is also homophobic and a sexist and, you know, a literal murderer. He's not a beacon of social justice and in many ways, the fact that he's such an asshole is what ties this book together. We really get into the head of an awful human being. He's not the hero of this book and we never root for him.
Putting that aside, I liked the end because it felt symbolic. Teo's favorite person is a corpse. As a cadaver, Teo can dismantle who Gertrude is without her ever interfering. He can learn all of her secrets. Despite Teo's attempts at making someone love him, it seems clear that he wants to give more than he wants to get. He's not interested in mutual love, he's invested in control and really, that scene when he decided to give Clarice a spinal injury was so awful and so jarring.
And there's this comparison between his mother and Clarice, this idea of control, of power imbalances. Rats or violins, art or science, it's like it's constantly Teo contrasted to what's around him, there's Clarice's world of sex, smoking, and lesbians and then there's Teo, with this insane stability, this overly logical, overly calculating type of thinking. In many ways, this adds into the creepiness factor because we see the different life Clarice and him lead.
I will say that the last few pages reminded me a little too much of Gone Girl. I mean, the whole, "so we're living happily ever after because we have a baby" type of thing might be a little overdone. Like, what happens after the baby? Sure, the last line of the book gave me goosebumps (and oH MY, what if Clarice remembers everything??) but yeah, not a fan of that idea.
As a whole though, I saw other people talking about the twist and I loved how I didn't predict it at all (I thought Clarice would overpower Teo and become equally abusive and yeah, that happened briefly but I did not see the spinal injury).
----------------------------------
My conclusion from this book is that medical students are not to be trusted.
I've got to study for my last two exams so review to come!
This book is gruesome. It's bloody but even worse, it's just plain creepy. As someone who loves talking to strangers, this is quite possibly one of my worst fears (the closest I've gotten to this book is that one time I spoke to this guy on the bus and a few hours later, he sent me a facebook friend request although I'm fairly certain I didn't say what my last name is or any other actual information. Then, in order to make it even creepier, he actually messaged me, "found you!").
Anyway, I could not stop reading this book. I don't read thrillers often so this jump into the genre was refreshing and fun. I just couldn't stop, I had to know exactly what happened. Terrible things kept coming and I just had to see how it would all be resolved.
This book does a great job with characterization. It focuses on Teo's inner monologue and does a believable job of portraying a mental ill and obsessive man. It's just the right amount of creepy in order to make this book scary and gross. You want to see Teo fail, you want to see Clarice win and man, this book was an emotional roller coaster.
Clarice, our other main character, is also quite a despicable person. She's not nearly as bad as Teo but in many ways, the fact that she's manipulative and selfish adds to the story because we're not entirely on her side. One of the things I liked about Clarice's character was that she wasn't stupid. By this, I mean that there's a troupe where the woman who gets attacked is just dumb. She doesn't realize she's being stalked, she gives away information too freely and it's irritating to read. Here, throughout the entire book, Clarice was aware. She was clever and saw things clearly. In many ways, it made this book even sadder because although she tried, it went down terribly. She constantly thought she had the upper hand and never did.
You is one of my favorite books. The superb writing has stayed with me for years ("In the cage, you feel loved, not trapped. Just like me.") and somehow, every time I read it, I find new things to appreciate. This definitely reminded me of you in the sense that it's a guy stalking a girl.
However, You was written by a woman while this was written by a man. I don't wish to add too much gender into everything but the similarities are striking and the differences are equally fascinating. Both authors describe the woman as flirty and carefree. They're both described as emotional and fickle and they're both failed writers. Joe's literary snobbishness seems equal to Teo's medical obsession. Both books have a scene where the guy sees the girl engage in a lesbian scene. Both books include an ex-boyfriend who is the opposite of the guy (a musician to Teo's medical training, an entrepreneur to Joe's used books).
However, Beck is constantly unaware of what's going on. Her self-centered behavior leads her to ignoring the issues of her life. She never really faces her psychological trauma but she's constantly dealing with it. In comparison, Clarice's self-centeredness leads her to being hyper-aware of what's going on. She knows exactly who Teo is but she's willing to engage with him (in the beginning). Clarice owns her sexuality while Beck has it imposed on her with dubious consent.
In conclusion, I don't have enough time to truly discuss why these differences matter or what can we learn about gender through this but in any case, this book is really interesting! Definitely recommend it if you are interested in a solid thriller and if you're up for some very gore filled scenes.
What I'm Taking With Me
- Well, this didn't encourage me to visit Brazil.
- And I read it late at night and had to spend time afterwards scrolling aimlessly through social media because I was concerned I'd dream about it.
- The real hero of this book is Clarice's mom.
SPOILERS:
I'm positive this book will anger people with disabilities. Many of the attitudes Teo portrays are just plain wrong. However, Teo is also homophobic and a sexist and, you know, a literal murderer. He's not a beacon of social justice and in many ways, the fact that he's such an asshole is what ties this book together. We really get into the head of an awful human being. He's not the hero of this book and we never root for him.
Putting that aside, I liked the end because it felt symbolic. Teo's favorite person is a corpse. As a cadaver, Teo can dismantle who Gertrude is without her ever interfering. He can learn all of her secrets. Despite Teo's attempts at making someone love him, it seems clear that he wants to give more than he wants to get. He's not interested in mutual love, he's invested in control and really, that scene when he decided to give Clarice a spinal injury was so awful and so jarring.
And there's this comparison between his mother and Clarice, this idea of control, of power imbalances. Rats or violins, art or science, it's like it's constantly Teo contrasted to what's around him, there's Clarice's world of sex, smoking, and lesbians and then there's Teo, with this insane stability, this overly logical, overly calculating type of thinking. In many ways, this adds into the creepiness factor because we see the different life Clarice and him lead.
I will say that the last few pages reminded me a little too much of Gone Girl. I mean, the whole, "so we're living happily ever after because we have a baby" type of thing might be a little overdone. Like, what happens after the baby? Sure, the last line of the book gave me goosebumps (and oH MY, what if Clarice remembers everything??) but yeah, not a fan of that idea.
As a whole though, I saw other people talking about the twist and I loved how I didn't predict it at all (I thought Clarice would overpower Teo and become equally abusive and yeah, that happened briefly but I did not see the spinal injury).
----------------------------------
My conclusion from this book is that medical students are not to be trusted.
I've got to study for my last two exams so review to come!
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November 10, 2019 لم تبادله الحب ، فما كان منه سوى اختطافها في حقيبة ، وفي الحقيقة ما كان يشعر به هو نوع من الهوس المرضي ولم يكن حباً ابداً..، شعرت بغصة في حلقي واختناق أنفاسي ازاء التسلط الوحشي الذي مارسه على سجينته...
النهاية صادمة ، وغير متوقعة على الاطلاق....
النهاية صادمة ، وغير متوقعة على الاطلاق....
October 26, 2021
منذ مدة لما اقرأ رواية بهذا الشكل
تغوص في أعماق النفس البشرية، فحقيقة لا يمكننا أن نتخيل إلى أي مدى قد يصل التطرّف أو الهوس بالإنسان.
قصة عجيبة مختلفة صادمة وغير متوقعة بتاتاً.
"الحب جميل لو صادفنا إنسانًا يجعلنا أحسن مما نحن عليه".
جملة جعلتني أفكر فيها كثيراً!
تغوص في أعماق النفس البشرية، فحقيقة لا يمكننا أن نتخيل إلى أي مدى قد يصل التطرّف أو الهوس بالإنسان.
قصة عجيبة مختلفة صادمة وغير متوقعة بتاتاً.
"الحب جميل لو صادفنا إنسانًا يجعلنا أحسن مما نحن عليه".
جملة جعلتني أفكر فيها كثيراً!
August 3, 2017
A minha opinião em vídeo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDN2E...
A minha estreia com Raphael Montes deixou-me cheia de vontade de ler tudo do autor.
Devorei este livro e achei uma surpresa fantástica!
A minha estreia com Raphael Montes deixou-me cheia de vontade de ler tudo do autor.
Devorei este livro e achei uma surpresa fantástica!
January 13, 2022
يخربيتك يا شيخ 😂
أنا تعبتلك
وتعبتلها
وتعبت لأى شخصية حظها السيء خلاها تمر في الرواية دي 🤦🏻♀😂
تمت
١٢ يناير ٢٠٢٢
أنا تعبتلك
وتعبتلها
وتعبت لأى شخصية حظها السيء خلاها تمر في الرواية دي 🤦🏻♀😂
تمت
١٢ يناير ٢٠٢٢
January 13, 2021
Yay, I finally read this book! I really want to support more Brazilian authors and I thought this was a good place to start. And oh boy, this book was one hell of a ride.
I really enjoyed the way this book was written, it was creepy and kept me engaged until the ending. However, I have to confess I was frustrated from page 1 until the very last one, and all because of the characters: everybody was stupid.
With that in mind, I had a hard time finding the story beliveable, and even though the ending was somewhat of a surprise, I have to say this significantly impacted my reading experience and reduced my enjoyment.
I really enjoyed the way this book was written, it was creepy and kept me engaged until the ending. However, I have to confess I was frustrated from page 1 until the very last one, and all because of the characters: everybody was stupid.
With that in mind, I had a hard time finding the story beliveable, and even though the ending was somewhat of a surprise, I have to say this significantly impacted my reading experience and reduced my enjoyment.
May 2, 2024
قد تتمنى كل أنثى أن تجد رجل حياتها يحب بصدق، يهتم، يقدر مشاعرها و يكون لها السند و الصديق و رفيق العمر لكن ماذا لو ...
كان كل هذا الحب موجودا لكن بصورة. بشعة ..
!
كيف ممكن أن يدفع هوس رجل بإمرأة بخطفها و الزج بها في حقيبة محكمة الإغلاق لضمان وجودها معه و عدم فرارها ؟
رواية مؤلمة عن التعلق المرضي و حب التملك في أبشع صوره, صوت أنينها يتردد في أرجاء الغرفة الضيقة و الحقيبة الأكثر ضيقا و ألما .. همسات خوفها .. و لحظات مرت عليها و كأنها دهر ..
رواية مشوقة و ممتعة رغم أني ظللت هل أعصابي أنتظر فك صراحها
كان كل هذا الحب موجودا لكن بصورة. بشعة ..
!
كيف ممكن أن يدفع هوس رجل بإمرأة بخطفها و الزج بها في حقيبة محكمة الإغلاق لضمان وجودها معه و عدم فرارها ؟
رواية مؤلمة عن التعلق المرضي و حب التملك في أبشع صوره, صوت أنينها يتردد في أرجاء الغرفة الضيقة و الحقيبة الأكثر ضيقا و ألما .. همسات خوفها .. و لحظات مرت عليها و كأنها دهر ..
رواية مشوقة و ممتعة رغم أني ظللت هل أعصابي أنتظر فك صراحها
November 2, 2022
"تيو" ذلك الرجل المجنون ولكنه لديه ذكاء شديد، طالب في كلية الطب .
أحب “كلاريس” حباً شديداً، ولكنه من طرف واحد. إستطاع إن يختفها مدة طويلة، تحملت كلاريس الضرب، التهديد، الاقامة الجبريةوقتل حبيبها أيضًا.
ولكنه بذكاء استطاع إن يخرج بذكاء من كل هذا.
❞ «هناك دائمًا بعض الجنون في الحب؛ لكن دائمًا ما يوجد بعض المنطق في الجنون». ❝
Story tell
#امرأة_في_حقيبة
أحب “كلاريس” حباً شديداً، ولكنه من طرف واحد. إستطاع إن يختفها مدة طويلة، تحملت كلاريس الضرب، التهديد، الاقامة الجبريةوقتل حبيبها أيضًا.
ولكنه بذكاء استطاع إن يخرج بذكاء من كل هذا.
❞ «هناك دائمًا بعض الجنون في الحب؛ لكن دائمًا ما يوجد بعض المنطق في الجنون». ❝
Story tell
#امرأة_في_حقيبة
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