An unusual book. My knowledge of the current state of Brazilian politics comes from reading newspapers reports, so I was aware of the recent election. I've read a fair bit about corruption, about Bolsonaro and Lulu.

Using details about murder, corruption cases, stories about drug runners and police thugs, Joe Thomas tells us the story of recent Brazilian politics. I found it a bit bogged down in the detail and the minutiae of Brazilian political structures. But like I said to begin with, the way it mixes personal experience, social issues and crime and characters from various levels of Sao Paolo society to tell a story.

I was half way through when I was realised that it was the final part of a quartet of books. Perhaps that would have increased my enjoyment of this.

Brazil in 2003 begins nearly fifteen years of a left-wing government. This book documents the rise and fall of the left and the rise of the right. Murder, corruption, and intrigue abound in this sometimes violent tale.

I have to say that although it seems well written, it’s not for me. It begins well but then seems to get bogged down in minute, and to my mind, irrelevant detail. Maybe because this is the fourth book in the series and the first I have read. It does say it’s a standalone novel but it just didn’t work, in my opinion.

“Brazilian Psycho” – Joe Thomas

The finale of a loose quartet, “Brazilian Psycho” is the story of the underworld and corruption of Brazil, and more specifically Sao Paulo, told across the years between the election of Lula in 2003 and Jair Bolsanaro 16 years later.

To paint this picture, Thomas has created a narrative with multiple main characters and threads that mix fiction with real characters and events from this period – the Mensalao scandal, Operation Car Wash, things that I recognise from my brief time spent in Brazil. Chapters are preceded by quotes from people in the book, fictional and real, to further try and blur the line between the real-life events and Thomas’s narrative. All the events are connected by a complex and varied cast of police officers, sex workers, office workers, journalists and favela residents who all interact and attempt to bring everything together succinctly. Think of a Robert Altman film, or the Simpsons episode “22 Short Films about Springfield”.

I came into this expecting something different – the title suggested something that would be closer to “American Psycho” or “African Psycho”, and while this book has its moments, ultimately I came away disappointed. Having this many characters led to me feeling confused and uninterested, as none of them feel fully fleshed out. The story drags quickly, especially towards the end, and I found it a real slog to finish (its 500-page length didn’t help with this).

I also had a weird problem with the style of dialogue – the book was originally written in English, but I assume the characters are normally speaking in Portuguese. Despite this, they speak an English peppered with little Portuguese phrases that are immediately followed by the translation, which I found extremely annoying and unnecessary. It’s a personal thing, but it genuinely made me have to think about what language was being spoken, which is an unusual problem to have.

If I picked this up in an airport, I’m sure that it would help me get through a long flight, but I can’t say this is one to seek out. Great title, interesting idea, not pulled off successfully.

When I Requested this book I didn't realise it was a final in a quartet, however that didn't stop me enjoying the story. I will go back and read the other three books so I can get to know the characters better. The story was really interesting and I learned alot about Brazilian politics.