The Eternal Son

Reviews / Votes

'An unflinching and eloquent book.' * Canberra Times * 'The Eternal Son requires the dedicated reader, not because it describes the relationship between a gifted father and a handicapped son, but because it does so in painstaking, often painful, detail. Classified as a novel, for which Tezza won every major fiction award in Brazil in 2008, it is more an extended essay. (Australian-born Alison Entrekin is the prize-winning translator). Rarely does writing in the third person seem so poignantly autobiographical.' * Courier Mail * 'In his autobiographical novel, Brazilian author Tezza applies unflinching honesty and a writer's inquisitiveness to the story of his gradual acceptance of his own son ... A remarkable tale of a father finding humility.'/p> * Sun Herald * 'Felipe grows and so, we see, does his father ... The reader, once challenged and repulsed, becomes sympathetic, feels privileged. This is, in the end, a deeply moving portrait of a father truly loving the son he has.' * Sunday Express, UK * 'This excellent book, which has won every major Brazilian literary prize, describes the reactions of a young man to the birth and growth of his son, a child with Down syndrome ... The ruminatory style is never static or suffocating, and although the father can be said to learn and grow (as does his son), Tezza doesn't embarrass us or cheapen the material by signpointing a moral journey. He doesn't try to move us, either, and the book doesn't treat us to an emotional splurge as a reward for enduring the confronting subject matter: but it is highly intelligent, drily humorous, and beautifully written (and translated, by Australian-born Alison Entrain).' -- Owen Richardson * The Age * 'Often confronting and uncomfortable, The Eternal Son explores lives and emotions rarely touched on. Significantly, Tezza does so without wallowing in pity or in a self-righteous sense of overcoming adversity.' -- Jose Borghino * The Australian * 'Drawing on his own experiences, Brazilian Cristovao gives us an acute and sometimes brutal look into the mind of a young father whose first son is born with Down Syndrome ... It is easy to see why this book attracted a slew of awards...' * The Dominion Post Weekend *