The great Brazilian novelist Milton Hatoum is admired for his ability to capture human relationships at their core. In "Ashes from the Amazon," he tells a psychologically penetrating intertwined family story set in tropical Manaus that resonates long after the reader has finished. The two friends could not be more different: the artistically gifted, unstable Raimundo, whose father—whom he despises—is a successful businessman and supporter of the military government, and Olavo, an orphan from a humble background, who helplessly confronts Raimundo's blind rebellion. Olavo chooses the quiet path and becomes a lawyer for the underprivileged, yet he is fascinated by the life of his friend, who restlessly roams the world but cannot escape his origins. Raimundo's mother, a beautiful woman with a mysterious past, is also unable to provide her son with stability.