Bibiana and Belonísia are sisters in a community of tenant farmers in northern Brazil. An accident with a knife when they are young leaves Belonísia without a tongue, which comes to represent the farmers’ own lack of voice. Belonísia narrates:
I liked hearing the word “plow” enunciated; it’s a strong, resonant word… But the sound that came from my mouth was an aberration, chaotic, as if the severed chunk of my tongue had been replaced by a hard-boiled egg. My voice was a crooked plow, deformed, penetrating the soil only to leave it infertile, ravaged, destroyed.
Translated from Portuguese by Johnny Lorenz
The tale that unfolds reaches outwards in the person of Bibiana, who leaves the community for a time and gains a greater sense of politics. It also reaches inwards in the person of Belonísia, whose journey is more spiritual.
The first two parts of Crooked Plow are narrated respectively by the two sisters. I was particularly struck by the third part, which is narrated by a spirit conjured forth by their father, a healer. The spirit’s perspective allows this part of the book to take an overview that the rest cannot, adding further dimensions to the story – and the novel’s final image is with me still, both in itself and for what it represents.
Published by Verso Books.
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5th April 2024 at 4:15 pm
Nice review. Thank you.
8th April 2024 at 10:51 am
Cheers!
8th April 2024 at 7:41 am
It looks like this one is getting a resounding tick of approval from the shadow jury:)
8th April 2024 at 10:52 am
I think there’s a good chance this will be on our shortlist, and I will be happy if it is.