Life was full of failure, grief, and misery for everybody, but there certain people hellselected for an unstoppable battering." 

Tropicália by Harold Rogers was a stunning debut. The writing is poetic and cuts so deep at times. The story is raw and gut wrenching. Rogers tightens the grip on the reader with a tension that can only be cut with a knife. This debut is stunning and I am so excited to read more of Roger's work in the future.

This story is told in multiple perspectives, all from different members of the same family. There is so much unresolved and unspoken grief and trauma and it fills the reader with so much angst as all the back stories unfold. In the backdrop is the immense poverty in Brazil caused by tourism, political unrest and the colorism that still divides Rio de Janeiro. The cast of characters are multidimensional, flawed and human in every sense of the word. Rogers portrayal does an amazing job of blurring the lines of 'good' and 'bad'. 

Rogers' explores poverty, lack of choices, unfulfillment, alcoholism, unrequited love, fatherlessness, lust, unwanted pregnancy, abandonment, biracial identity, revenge and generational curses. After reading this one I'm left reflecting on the power of forgiveness, the human ability to change, the loss of regret and how sad life would be if we were judged by the worst moments of our lives without opportunity for redemption. It reminds how messy families can be but also how love brings about hope and how living in the past keeps us trapped in vicious cycles. Love can cause the deepest of wounds but also be restorative. It can blind you to make bad decisions but it also teaches you how to give grace. I can sum this one up by saying people find ways to numb the pain that lives in the heart and storytellers in families sift through all the broken glass and make a beautiful mosaic for the future generations to gaze at. This book was a beautiful disaster. 

If you love generational stories that don't always have a happy ending, you'll totally be captivated by this one. If you loved The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, then this one will make a nice pairing. Thanks to @atriabooks for sending me a gifted copy.