A review by onemorepagecrew
Perfect Days by Raphael Montes

4.5

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 
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