An American Mom in Asia

What a quirky and fun read. The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas by Machado de Assis is a bit of a classic in Brazil, so I hear. It was written over 100 years ago, and was years ahead of it’s time. It’s delightful and weird and wonderful.

Our titular main character, Brás Cubas, is dead. Not really a spoiler alert, because we learn this in the first pages of the book. But that doesn’t mean this dead character can’t proceed to narrate all the adventures and misadventures of his life. And that’s exactly how this book feels. Like someone who has died is looking back over life, and retelling someone else what happened. The good and the bad…and with self-editing and selective memory. He expresses joy and regret over the life he lived. And as a result takes us as the readers through his reverie.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel, but it was very enjoyable.

⭐️ My rating: 4 stars of 5