The Implacable Order of Things

Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers
Winner of the Jos� Saramago Literary Award, iThe Implacable Order of Things/i
is a novel of profound eloquence and uncommon insight. Narrated by two generations of men and women in rural Portugal who struggle against the elements of a harsh geography and unremitting poverty, it's composed of a couplet of unconventional love stories.brbr

Jos� tends his sheep, quietly and with honor, his dog by his side, his days long and lonely. His wife -- his love, his life -- waits at home. Though once young and hopeful, she has aged too quickly from the strain of their life and questions the choices she has made. At the end of the day and the start of a hot evening, Jos� enters the general store, orders a glass of wine, and his world comes unmoored as he learns of his wife's infidelity. Simultaneously, another story unfolds. Mois�s and Elias are twins attached at the hands, unable to live without each other. But their long communion is tested when Mois�s falls in love with the local cook.
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A mesmerizing and haunting novel, this is a story of lives hardened by life's difficulties and driven by a terrible fatality. What luxury there is exists in the secret moments when tenderness and intimacy flourish between lovers. Powerfully imagined and poetically told, Peixoto's novel introduces a marvelous talent to an American readership.
(iFall 2008 Selection/i)