Heliopolis by James Scudamore

Whenever I notice a book that has been either short or longlisted for the Booker Prize, I will always give it a go as it is often a way into the type of books that I wouldn't normally pick up. This falls very neatly into that category and without the mention of the Booker Prize along the top I would probably given it a miss.

It's set in the ever expanding metropolis of São Paulo, and the story takes place in the glass tower blocks populated by the wealthy business classes and also the shanty towns that crop up all around the edges of the city. The lead character, Ludo, has connections with both sides of the city as he was born into poverty but, not long after he was born, his mother was offered a job as a cook on a farm that belonged to a very wealthy man and that bought a better quality of living for both of them.

The wealthy man is Ze Fischer Carnicelli, who avoids getting down to street level by using a helicopter to navigate around the city. The only time he puts his feet to the ground is when he goes back to his farm for the weekends. It is too dangerous to walk around the streets, even for a short distance because São Paulo has become very dangerous due to the drug cartels and the risk of kidnapping.

When Ludo is around twelve Ze offers to formally adopt him as he has grown fond of the boy and already sees him like family. Ludo's mother agrees to this arrangement as it will give Ludo many more opportunities in life and he will no longer be associated with the shanty towns. Most of the time Ludo is happy with living as Ze's son, but the past never completely goes away and he is constantly troubled by the question of who his true father might be.

Despite the descriptions of wealth and hedonistic living, this is a dark story where almost none of the main characters is without some kind of grim aspect to their lives that they would rather keep hidden. The reviewer from the Telegraph found it 'dark, gripping and comic' and although I agree with the first two words I would struggle to point out the bits that you would call comic. It's a sad story in many ways because everyone on all the social levels is constantly looking for something that they don't already have, and it comes back to the old story that money can't buy you happiness.

It's well constructed and the plot line is neatly managed throughout. It's gritty and realistic so I can see how it made it's way onto the Booker Longlist.

Comments

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