About
Author: Germano Almeida (Cape Verde)
Genre: Domestic Fiction
Setting
Place: Cape Verde
Time: 1970s-80s
My Rating (see what this means)
My Subjective Rating: 3
My ‘Objective’ Rating: 3.13
Introduction
Germano Almeida’s book ‘The Last Will and Testament of Senhor da Silva Araujo’ is about, well the last will and testament of Senhor da Silva Araujo. The rich old man died peaceful in his sleep at a ripe old age. His only known relative – a nephew Carlos Araujo – who managed his entire business – however inherits just a small portion of the old man’s wealth. A considerable chunk goes to an illegitimate daughter Maria, about whom no one, including Maria knew about.
The novel refreshingly is not about any heartburn such a will would cause. It is also not about any intrigue and scheming that would have followed over Araujo’s huge wealth. Rather it is a book about the mundane. And it is charming.
P.S. The novel incidentally is also much shorter than the long long will and testament Araujo is supposed to have left with.
Review
Don’t get me wrong. When I say, it is a book about the mundane I am not saying that there are no strong emotions, or twisted schemes an unsatisfactory will would generate. It even has a couple sweet little mysteries going on, some passionate romances too. What is marvelous is how rooted in reality all these situations in the book feel like. Well, not a lot of people will have a unacknowledged daughter they leave all the wealth to, but within the bounds of the situation, certainly.
None of the emotions, or scheming or mysteries or romances subsume the entire story – but each add to its charms
Carlos Araujo – the nephew was inevitably bitter at being left out of the will but becomes, not a villain, a tragic-comic character – bad-mouthing the uncle who he indeed loved and was generally still thankful towards. Maria – the daughter, with the sudden new found wealth, becomes obsessed with trying to get to know a man who was supposed to be the father she didn’t know.
But the main protagonist remains Senhor da Silva Araujo himself – for despite being dead – it is his particularness and misery and pettiness and indecision and regret and insecurity and satisfaction and attempts at love and failures at love that the story revolves around. For Senhor da Silva Araujo – known for his serious, upright, self-made success story, had skeletons in his closet. Or so he thought, anyway.
This self-important testament of a likeably narcissistic buffoon is a makes for a sweet funny read.
…and as the good man I (Senhor Araujo) am and always have been, I have a moral obligation never to forgive him