The Natural Order of Things

Lobo Antunes is an original author. His books are occupied by strange, misantropic people whose innermost feelings are revealed to us through a stream of thoughts, often in uninterrupted monologues of a page or more. This is also the case in The Natural Order of Things. Antunes' landscapes are dark, his story tragic: Two families through three generations, their members estranged. In one family, an illegitimate daughter is being kept in the attic because of the shame she represents to the tyrannic father, a son is caught and tortured by the Salazaar regime, the family dissolves as the story continues. In the other family, madness prevails - the man lives in another world, his sister reminisces about what happened on the beach behind the cinema many years ago, the daughter is dying from diabetes and depressions. Definitely not cheerful stuff. But Antunes tells it all so beautifully! His book is like a long piece of wonderful music - it is an almost haunting experience to find oneself so happy after reading about such misery. Be prepared, though, for an effort - Antunes often shifts his story midsentence; the focus and dimensions change abruptly. Try it and see for yourself - I think you will be richly rewarded!