The Book of Chameleons
By Jose Eduardo Agualusa; Daniel Hahn (Translator)
(Simon & Schuster, Paperback, 9781416573517, 192pp.)
Publication Date: June 17, 2008
Other Editions of This Title: Google eBook
Categories: General
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Félix Ventura trades in an unusual commodity; he is a dealer in memories, clandestinely selling new pasts to people whose futures are secure and who lack only a good lineage to complete their lives. In this completely original murder mystery, where people are not who they seem and the briefest of connections leads to the forging of entirely new histories, a bookish albino, a beautiful woman, a mysterious foreigner, and a witty talking lizard come together to discover the truth of their lives. Set in Angola, Agualusa's tale darts from tormented past to dream-filled present with a lightness that belies the savage history of a country in which many have something to forget -- and to hide.
A brilliant American debut by one of the most lauded writers in the Portuguese-speaking world, this is a beautifully written and always surprising tale of race, truth, and the transformative power of creativity.
Daniel Hahn is the translator of Agualusa's award-winning novels Creole and The Book of Chameleons, as well as My Father's Wives.
"A subtle beguiling story of shifting identities." -- Kirkus
"A work of fierce originality." -- The Independent
"Without doubt one of the most important Portuguese-language writers of his generation." -- Antonio Lobo Antunes
"A book as brisk as a thriller and as hot and alarming as the most powerful kind of dream." -- Michael Pye, author of The Pieces from Berlin
"Cross J. M. Coetzee with Gabriel García Márquez and you've got José Eduardo Agualusa, Portugal's next candidate for the Nobel Prize." -- Alan Kaufman, author of Matches
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