I must start by saying that as Portuguese, I have a great respect for the work by José Saramago, in which with his masterpieces he was able to provide something unique to our culture, a Nobel Prize.

This book is very intense and very detailed, in which it properly illustration a fictitious scenario in which the world is put in a unique and difficult reality.

Saramago’s ability to control the emotions of the characters is unique. The way he envisions the missing of humanity, when everyone is just concerned with themselves, is truly remarkable.

There were portions of the narrative where the vivid descriptions of the characters’ surroundings were so overwhelming that I could feel my body contort, agitated by the repulsive imagery it elicited.

I find the writing to be sometimes difficult to read, but I believe that is a mark of its way of transmitting written histories, giving it a sense of uniqueness.

This is a very impactful phrase from the book, which I would like to leave here:

“Se podes olhar, vê. Se podes ver, repara.”

“If you can look, see. If you can see, notice.”