SE EU FECHAR OS OLHOS AGORA (IF I CLOSE MY EYES NOW)
Book ID/图书代码： 12654812B52538
English Summary/英文概要： In April 1961, as Yuri Gagarin - the first man in space - leaves the Earth’s atmosphere, two 12-year old boys in a small town in the former coffee-growing region of the state of Rio de Janeiro find the mutilated body of a beautiful woman at the edge of a lake where they have gone to skive class. And so begins this page turning, thrilling novel revealing the layers of hypocrisy within Brazilian society.
The frightened boys immediately call the police, who harshly interrogate them, treating them more like suspects than as witnesses. The brutality of the murder and complete disregard for human beings shock the boys, who refuse to accept the official explanation of the crime: that her husband – the fragile town dentist, motivated by jealousy – is the culprit. They start to investigate, helped by an old man who lives in a shelter for the elderly. The man was a political prisoner during the Vargas dictatorship and hides the real reason for his interest in the case. His warning to the boys marks the beginning of a whirlwind of surprising events: ‘Nothing is what it seems in this country.’
In no time they realize that the woman has a strange connection with the town’s most important men, and that her past is nebulous, replete with lies. The investigation reveals a perverse scenario, involving sexual violence, racism, corruption and spurious political alliances – in an effort to hold on to power at any cost. All this in 1961 when Brazil is looking forward, well on the way to becoming an industrialised nation. For the boys, it is a harsh and chilling glimpse into the world of adults. A shocking coming of age in early their adolescence.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 1961年四月，正當地球上首位離開大氣層的俄國太空人Yuri Gagarin前往太空探險時，在巴西里約兩名12歲的男孩Paulo和Eduardo某個偏遠小鎮的湖邊發現一具女屍，兩人受到驚嚇後隨即跑到警局。
由於該年輕女子受到極為殘暴的對待，讓起初警方拒絕以一般的情殺案偵辦（死者的先生年紀頗大，為小鎮的牙醫，犯案的動機為感情因素等），甚至認為兩位男孩涉嫌的成分多於證人。兩人在警方突然將案件朝情殺方向調查並將死者的先生列為嫌疑人後，隨即被釋放，但其實男孩們很清楚以牙醫的年歲應該無法獨自殺害自己妻子？！
兩人因對案情充滿高度疑惑而回到牙醫的住所，除了發現了驚人的事實外，這時也突然出現一位老人，說要幫他們調查此案，而這位住在養老院的「好人」還是前巴西獨裁者Vargas統治下的政治犯，但男孩們似乎也感覺到他對此事有別的目的……(Vincent)
Awards/获奖情况：巴西最耀眼的新銳作家！英文版權已售出Doubleday Publishing！此書被拿來與義大利的《有你，我不怕！》I’m Not Scared及經典小說「梅岡城故事」比較！ 2010 Jabuti Prize for the Best Novel
2010 São Paulo Prize Literary Award for the Best First Novel
Lawson says: "This tender-hearted murder mystery/coming-of-age debut novel set in the 1960s about two boys from the poor side of Rio de Janeiro who come across a dead woman’s body and who take it upon themselves to find her killer reminded me so much of I’m Not Scared by Niccolo Amminiti that I instantly fell for it. In the tradition of To Kill a Mockingbird, such novels that expose racism and violence through the eyes of young children can be immensely powerful."
Rights sold:
Doubleday world English rights
Belfond in France,
Mondadori in Italy,
Planeta Manuscrito in Portugal,
Limes Verlag in Germany,
Evro-Giunti in Serbia,
de Arbeiderspers in the Netherlands
About the Author/作者介绍： Edney Silvestre，身兼作者及記者等身份，目前替美國及巴西許多報紙撰稿及提供最新外電訊息。定居巴西里約，出版過多部短篇故事，而這本Se Eu Fechar os Olhos Agora是他首部推向英美市場的長篇小說。
Edney Silvestre is a writer and journalist. From 1991 to 2002 he was an international correspondent for the newspaper O Globo and the television channel TV Globo, in New York. His most famous reporting includes Spetember 11, when he was the first Brazilian journalist to arrive at the site of the attacks, a series of stories in Iraq, and the passing of hurricanes in Florida and Central America. He is now based in Rio, where he is a reporter for the television news programs Jornal Nacional, Bom Dia Brasil and Jornal da Globo. He has a weekly spot on RJTV and presents the program Espaço Aberto Literatura, on Globonews. Needless to say he is very keen to help promote any foreign editions in any way he can and speaks perfect English.
He is the author of the books Dias de cachorro louco (Mad Dog Days) and Outros tempos (Other Times), both of short fiction, published by Record, and Contestadores (Contesters), published by Francis. His interviews can be found in Conversations with John Updike (University Press of Mississipi); As grandes entrevistas de O Globo (O Globo’s Greatest Interviews), Milênio (Millenium) and O livro das grandes reportagens (The Book of Big News Stories) [Globo].
Format:电子手稿
Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
Sales in other countries/其他国家销售情况：
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