Born in a Sao Paulo shantytown, Ludo undergoes a remarkable transformation. Directed by forces beyond his control, he first leaves, then returns to the vast city of his birth - but on the opposite side of its social divide. Now twenty-seven, he works for a vacuous 'communications company', marketing unwanted, unaffordable products aimed at the very underclass into which he was born. He has developed an obsessive, adulterous love for his adoptive sister, whose husband is his only friend. And he has an appetite that can never be satisfied. Welcome to the world of "Heliopolis". By turns comic, violent and poignant, it is a rags-to-riches tale like no other - the story of a man whose destiny moves him around like a chess piece, and risks taking him to the brink of madness and brutality.

The writing is exemplary: you feel the hand of a natural at work, one whose command of tone is strong, and who has an instinctive feel for handling a story.' Guardian -- Guardian

'This novel merits the epithet Dickensian in a number of ways: in its generous anger at injustice and inequality, its attention to the lives of the poor, and its relish for food... Read it for the power of the writing, the descriptions that fizz off the page, and the lust for life.' Independent on Sunday -- Independent on Sunday

'Written in beautiful, clear prose, at ease equally with the flittering, dangerous games of the socialites and with the pungent depths of the slums... fascinating.' Literary Review -- Literary Review

more images