The Shape of Bones

Author Daniel Galera
Narrator Charlie Anson
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Publish Date 6 April 2017
Run Time 5 hours and 10 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Fiction in translation, Modern and contemporary fiction, Narrative theme: Coming of age, Narrative theme: Sense of place.

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book.

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Penguin presents the complete unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of The Shape of Bones by Daniel Galera, read by Charlie Anson.

From one of Brazil's foremost literary voices comes a gripping, visceral new novel about youth, power and the nature of manhood

A man rises at 5 a.m. and leaves his home. He does not wake his wife or child to bid them goodbye. He starts his car - an SUV filled with survival gear - but does not drive to his friend's house as planned. Instead he glides through the sleeping streets of Porto Alegre, haunted by ghosts of himself: the fearless boy riding a battered stunt bike, the silent adolescent fascinated by bodies and violence, the obsessive young surgeon, the distant husband.

As the dawn comes on and people slowly fill the streets, the man drives unthinkingly, inexorably, toward the old neighbourhood of his youth. What is pulling him back there? Perhaps the need to make something happen, perhaps just nostalgia. Or perhaps the search for absolution - from a crime he has carried in his heart for fifteen years.

Critics Review

Impressive, visceral and tender . . . A work of art whose echoes persist long after the final page

Masterful, compelling and stylish . . . Galera draws so much life into a single line, leading beyond the pages of the book and out to the horizon

Barney Norris, author of 'Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain'

Ferociously intelligent… A tense, atmospheric meditation on the hypnotic pull of the past. Daniel Galera is a thrilling writer, and this novel is nothing short of essential

Laura van den Berg, author of 'Find Me'

Publisher’s description. A visceral coming-of-age story set against a backdrop of violence and turbulent desire in the blistering Brazilian suburbs. Taut with the threat of sex and savagery, this is a book about bodies and their limits, about how it feels to be young and what it means to become a man.

Penguin

Vividly radiates a sense of unease and menace. I found myself constantly absorbed by it

New Statesman on 'Blood-Drenched Beard'

Coolly seductive, expansively mythic, with an unsettling sense of something indefinably out of joint beneath a veneer of small-town normality. . . . A tensely atmospheric novel [with] a dangerous undertow

Guardian on 'Blood-Drenched Beard'

More from the same

Narrator

About xigxag

Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.

Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.