This is an excellent character study of a man who survives from one government change in Brazil to another, each time able to conform to the new set of expectations. The prose is beautiful and clear (kudos to the translator). I do think that most American readers won't appreciate the historical context enough to comprehend in depth the moment, whereas a Brazilian reader familiar with the historical moment of the Dirty war in the 1960s would be more able to read between the lines and infer things that aren't plainly presented in the text. Ribeiro is clearly writing for his fellow Brazilians as his audience, so the novel loses a bit when read by a less-informed, non-Brazilian reader. Despite this, worth the read.

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