The book
A startling and inspirational work of transgender fiction by a leading figure in Brazil's "New Urban" fiction movement.
Armando is one of the most renowned therapists in São Paulo. One of his patients, a 17-year-old boy by the name of Sergio, abruptly interrupts his course of therapy after a trip to New York. Sergio's cursory explanation to Armando is that he has finally found his own path to happiness and must pursue it.
For years, without any further news of Sergio, Armando wonders what happened to his patient. He subsequently learns that Sergio is living a happy life in New York and that he is now a woman, Sandra. Not long after this startling discovery, however, Armando is shocked to read about Sandra's unexpected death. In an attempt to discover the truth about Sergio and Sandra's life, Armando starts investigating on his own.
Sergio Y. is a unique and moving story about gender, identity, and the search for happiness.
The author
Alexandre Vidal Porto
Alexandre Vidal Porto was born in São Paulo. A career diplomat, a Harvard-trained lawyer, and a human rights activist, he writes a regular column for Folha de S. Paulo. His fiction has appeared in some of the most respected literary publications in Brazil and also abroad. Sergio Y. was the winner of the Parana Literary Prize for best novel.
Press
- Aug 14 2016
"Beautifully told and translated, it explores the limitations of truly knowing another person..."
— Lamda Literary - May 11 2016
Interview with Alexandre Vidal Porto
— BOMB Magazine - May 6 2016
"a sensitivity to nuance and a supple, philosophical expansiveness."
— World Literature Today - Mar 21 2016
"A beautiful, moving, profound book . . . "
— Andrew Solomon - Mar 6 2016
A "captivating, impeccably structured novel"
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)