Books › Ensaio sobre a lucidez
Ensaio sobre a lucidez
First published 2004 · 423 pages
A sharp, darkly comedic allegory about the terrifying power of doing absolutely nothing.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like being swept into a dense, hypnotic river of thought. The prose is famously unconventional, abandoning standard punctuation to blend dialogue, narration, and philosophical musings into a continuous, rhythmic flow that demands your full attention. The atmosphere is a masterful mix of the absurd and the paranoiac, capturing the quiet thrill of collective defiance alongside the creeping dread of an oppressive state losing its grip. It is a deeply cynical yet strangely hopeful reading experience, steeped in wry satire and bureaucratic madness. Readers who appreciate challenging, thought-provoking allegories will find themselves completely absorbed by this chilling exploration of power, truth, and the profound weight of a blank page.
- Mood
- absurdist
- paranoiac
- quietly defiant
- oppressive
- Tone
- satirical
- wry
- philosophical
- cynical
- detached
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- civil disobedience · bureaucratic absurdity · fragility of power · collective action · truth and propaganda
- The writing
- A dense, rhythmic river of text that eschews standard punctuation, blending dialogue and narration into a continuous, hypnotic flow.
- The arc
- Moves from the quiet thrill of collective defiance through the maddening absurdity of bureaucratic panic, culminating in a sobering, tragic inevitability.
- Who it's for
- Lovers of philosophical allegories and biting satire who enjoy getting lost in long, winding, unconventional sentences.
Content notes
- state violence
- political corruption
- assassination
- paranoia
About the book
During the town elections of a nameless city, most of its inhabitants, by their own individual choices, decide to exert their voting rights in an unexpected way. The dirty and sneaky officials in power start making arrangements to eliminate the guilty parties; and if they cannot find any, they will have to make them up.
Description from Open Library.
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