The Only Happy Ending for a Love Story is an Accident

Translated from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Lowe

2015 Longlist

J.P. Cuenca is a surprising transnational voice in Brazilian literature whose central theme of cultural otherness urges his audience to rethink globalization in more carefully defined, more humanistic terms.

Set in Tokyo, in a not too distant future, this novel tells the story of Shunsuke, a salary-man, and his complicated relationship with his mad poet father, Mr. Okuda, whose hobby is spying on his son. When Shunsuke falls in love with Iulana, a maelstrom of jealousy is set in motion that culminates in abduction and death. In poetic and imaginative language, Cuenca subtly interweaves reality and fiction, creating a dreamlike world whose palpable characters, including a silicone doll, leave a lasting impression. Written like a crime novel, full of odd events and reminiscent of Haruki Murakami, this disturbing, kaleidoscopic story of voyeurism and perversion draws the reader in from the very first page.

(from publisher)

About the Author

J. P. Cuenca is the author of Body Present and The Mastroianni Day. He was selected by Granta for The Best of Young Brazilian Novelists and was named one of the thirty-nine highest-profile Latin American writers under the age of thirty-nine.

About the Translator

Elizabeth Lowe is professor and director of the Centre for Translation Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Librarian’s Comments

The author is a surprising transnational voice in Brazilian literature whose central theme of cultural otherness urges his audience to rethink globalization in more carefully defined, more humanistic terms.