It is one of the most emblematic works of Portuguese literature, from the author José Cardoso Pires.
It is a work that reflects the end of an era. The end of a family line, the Palma Bravos. Of a certain cloistered world in their beliefs and superstitions, a Gafeira, a broken reality, full of shadows and insidious mist. The book reflects a rural reality in abeyance. As the passage of time does not leave marks there are only hints of metamorphosis, purposely hidden by the main character, Thomas Palma Bravo, Hidalgo, a symbol of a decaying dynasty who tries to dominate everyone and everything. It all starts with one death, of his wife, Mary of Mercy. A tragedy involved in a certain mystery, attributed to the shadows that inhabit the lagoon. The action is described by a stranger, the narrator of this story that seeks to decipher the puzzle that involves the death of this noble woman and his self-enclosed universe. The writing of José Cardoso Pires cradles us, without stylistic gimmicks, nor fat, thru a period in the history of Portugal, although it is not clearly present, it is described subliminally. Find out and enjoy reading!
