Paradais

2022 novel by Fernanda Melchor

978-607-31-8797-8OCLC1179050066

Dewey Decimal

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]

Characters

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]

Reception

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]

References

^ "Páradais". Penguin Libros (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
^ "Paradais". Fitzcarraldo Editions. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
^ "Páradais / Paradise". Penguin Random House. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
^ Russell, Benjamin P. (2022-05-25). "Mexican author Fernanda Melchor explores the human capacity for violence, and grace". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
^ Pressly, Lowry (2022-05-23). "In the Tongue a Knife, in the Knife a Tongue: On Fernanda Melchor's "Paradais"". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d McGee, Marcus (2022-08-28). "A Beautiful and Terrible Paradise: On Fernanda Melchor's "Paradais"". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Torres, Justin (2022-05-10). "Inside a Gated Paradise, Evil Breeds and Strikes". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Martin, Gabriella. "Paradais". Harvard Review. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
^ "The 2022 International Booker Prize". thebookerprizes.com.