Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Perfect Days

Perfect Days by Raphael Montes (translated from Portuguese to English by Alison Entrekin) was a messed up and disturbing book that I absolutely could not put down. If you like a wince-inducing thriller that borders on horror, this is one to pick up. Thank you to @tbretc on IG for the recommendation!

The story centers on Teo, a medical student who is caring for his paraplegic mother and living an isolated, non-social life. A chance encounter with a woman, Clarice, kick starts the most unexpected and unnerving sequence of events, as Teo kidnaps Clarice and forces her to be his girlfriend. There is one scene that will probably stay in my nightmares forever. Go in knowing nothing else about the plot!

BUT, do know this… the ableism is thick in this book and it’s hard to tell if it’s used intentionally to build Teo’s character or if the author is insensitive with wording. Teo has all these ideas about what people “should” be like and it adds to how the reader feels about him so that could be the reason, but I just don’t know. I expected to see something about it in the acknowledgements, but it’s not mentioned.

You know what WAS in the acknowledgements though… this book is dedicated to his mom who asked him to stop writing such violent books and write a love story instead. I laughed out loud that this was his way of doing it.

This was my first book in the 2023 challenge to read #12translatedbooksin2023 and my first book of the year. Cheers to many more!

Content warnings: Body horror, Kidnapping, Death, Violence

Content Warnings

thekeziamartins's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I had positive experiences with Raphael Montes before, so I'm used to the author's style. I really liked Jantar Secreto, but it's a very enjoyable book, because it doesn't take itself seriously in regard to reality, unlike Perfect Days.

Many events here are extremely convenient, making the book unbelievable at several points, which I don't believe was the original intention.
I believe that some characters and issues, such as Gertrude, were poorly developed.

It was a very quick book to read (that's not necessarily a compliment). It was entertaining at times, but overall not to be taken too seriously.

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enoki's review against another edition

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jesus fucking christ. i genuinely hate this book. i definitely see where the author was trying to go with this but it’s just horrible to read. i actually liked YOU and it is just a way worse version of it. and i’m a fan of dark gross books (Sharp Objects is one of my favorites) but the book moves so quickly as if they’re just bullet points. i stopped at the point where he

Spoiler

made it so Clarice could no longer walk

Spoiler

the whole book is just filled with Teo’s delusions and it’s honestly disgusting and insane which is the point… but it was just not a fun or a good read. i was really trying to hold out for a beautiful line or something meaningful but it just got progressively worse and i honestly would not recommend this to anyone. it is a rly easy book to read though and in the beginning you do get kind of swept up in it but the first chunk of the book is way better than the rest of it.

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