I’m not much of a short stories kind of person but this book captivated me from the first page. In the first story, The Forest of Farewell, we meet Luís and Rosa, who grew up together under the generous wings of several mothers and aunts and now, separated by a fence, desire each other from a distance.

In an award-winning short story called The Executioner’s Prayer, Vieira Jr. talks about a man whose job is to execute other men. The character finds himself at a loss when he has to kill a poet condemned by his verses.

There’s still another story, called Alma, about a woman who escapes slavery, travelling for weeks on foot through the jungle, in search of a place to rebuild herself, after stealing her mistress’ fine dress.

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