A River Called Time - Tapa blanda

Críticas

[Couto's] novels bind national history to ancestral mythology. They are a vindication of how oral legends can be received in any language... The novel has much to teach about patriarchy and change in a pre-industrial, post- revolutionary society. It shares, with the best fiction, mystery and revelation. A River called Time transports the reader to an island in which past, present and future co-exist, and the dead retain a vociferous presence. (Independent)

Teasing, touching, thoughtful prose... Couto builds archetypes, only to break them down with diversity; he adds tangibility by imaging impossibilities... a fine, satisfying novel (Times Literary Supplement)

Like Murakami crossed with Maya Angelou: magic realism entwined with African folklore and traditions (Yorkshire Post)

What starts off as a story of family secrets and revelations takes a turn for the whimsical and poetic, with startling results (Pride)

Reseña del editor

Mariano, who has lived in the city from an early age, is summoned back to his village to attend his grandfather's funeral. But when he arrives, he discovers two things: firstly, that he has been nominated by his grandfather to take over the running of the family affairs, secondly that his grandfather has not died completely, but is in that frontier space between life and death. In traditional belief, he has died 'badly', and something must happen in order for him to be laid to rest.

Mariano starts to receive letters supposedly written by his grandfather, telling him about the family. It is through this strange relationship that he discovers the secret of his own birth, while also cleansing his grandfather's conscience. The novel is a magical window to the culture of Mozambique.