Some people say writing is like weaving worlds with invisible threads. If that’s true, the authors of Batida Só, Querida Tia, and A Boba da Corte don’t just weave — they stitch words together with needles made of resistance, love, and quiet fury. Their writing, rich in personality, has been shaping today’s literary scene with the force of those who don’t knock — they walk right in.
Despite their distinct styles, they share one essential trait: they don’t wait for permission to write. They simply write. These are more than just books — they are stories that capture the spirit of the times and the many ways of being a woman.
Each author, in her own way, revisits personal and collective memories, challenges systems of power, and explores new ways of thinking about language, memory, and the body.
“Batida Só”: the urgency of everyday life with lyricism and critique
The opening scene of Giovana Madalosso’s latest novel hits with the force of real life: a journalist, walking home after a day at work, is attacked by two strangers. But before the violence fully unfolds, her body takes over — she collapses. A severe arrhythmia stops the scene in its tracks, scattering the assailants and sending her to the hospital. What begins as a story of urban danger quickly transforms into something deeper: a reflection on the heart — not just the one that beats, but the one that feels, fails, and searches for meaning.
In this long-awaited return to fiction, Madalosso weaves a subtle, powerful narrative about illness, faith, connection, and mortality. What happens when routine is interrupted? What shifts when the body draws its own boundaries? Through these questions, the novel leads us to the quiet places: the invisible bonds between people, the choices that shape a life, the line between what truly matters and what we simply cannot escape.
With the sharp, emotionally intelligent prose that defined previous works like A Teta Racional, Tudo Pode Ser Roubado, and Suíte Tóquio (a finalist for the Jabuti Prize), Madalosso delivers a story that pulses between the personal and the political, the fragile and the defiant. This is not just a story about illness, but about what it reveals — in us and in others.
“QUERIDA TIA”: the letter as a reconnection with ancestry
From the acclaimed author Valérie Perrin, Tata (published in Portuguese as Querida Tia) tells the moving story of Agnès, a woman whose life is turned upside down when she receives shocking news: her aunt Colette has died — again. Three years earlier, Colette was believed to have died and been buried in the small town of Gueugnon, in Burgundy. Now, as the closest living relative, Agnès must return to identify the body and unravel the mystery: if her aunt has truly passed away this time, who was buried before? And why would Colette fake her own death?
What unfolds is a powerful journey into the past. As Agnès, a film director in the midst of a personal crisis, returns to Burgundy, she begins to uncover long-buried family secrets: a traveling circus, the tragic fate of a Jewish family during World War II, a renowned pianist, and forces hiding in the shadows. Through a mysterious suitcase filled with cassette tapes, letters, and diaries, and the help of unexpected witnesses, she pieces together not only her aunt’s life, but also her own.
The acclaimed book “Dear Aunt” (Chère Tante), already published in several countries, unfolds as a poignant dialogue between past and present — childhood, adulthood, and the hidden lives of the women who came before. With her signature style, already known to readers of Fresh Water for Flowers (Changer l’eau des fleurs), Perrin blends mystery and intimacy, weaving themes of sexuality, aging, memory, and intergenerational silence.
“A BOBA DA CORTE”: chronicles that hurt, amuse, and sharply EXPOSE
In A Boba da Corte, Tati Bernardi uses humor, irony, and unflinching self-reflection to explore the tensions of social mobility in Brazil. The book opens with a seemingly simple episode: a birthday party in an upscale São Paulo neighborhood. But when a friend accidentally gets lost in the rougher area where Tati grew up, it triggers a wave of discomfort — a visceral reminder of the invisible lines that still separate her past from her present.
This moment becomes a springboard for a deeper exploration. Through a collection of sharp, intimate chronicles, Bernardi dissects the contradictions of moving between worlds — the emotional cost of fitting in, the performative progressivism of the elite, and the lingering guilt of privilege. Her prose is marked by brutal honesty and biting humor. She doesn’t spare herself: like the “court fool” of the title, she entertains, yes, but also exposes inconvenient truths — even (or especially) her own.
But A Boba da Corte isn’t just about class. With fierce intelligence and confessional clarity, Bernardi tackles themes such as mental health, toxic relationships, loneliness, motherhood, psychotherapy, and the fragility of self-image. Each piece feels like a balancing act — a rhythm of short, incisive sentences and deliberate pauses, as if each line were an attempt to make sense of the internal chaos. What begins as humorous frequently turns into something deeper: a cry, a critique, a mirror held up to the reader.
When Female authors write, the world listens differently
What unites these three writers? Perhaps it’s their courage to speak the truth. Or maybe it’s their refusal to stay silent when something hurts. Their books are like loose threads, constantly weaving a new kind of literature—one where women are not just characters, but the authors, narrators, and muses of their own stories.
Batida Só, Querida Tia, and A Boba da Corte each demonstrate how women’s writing is becoming a powerful space for both art and resistance. These books do more than share personal stories; they expand the entire landscape of Brazilian literature by amplifying voices long pushed to the margins.
At a time when women still fight to be heard, books like these matter. They remind us that telling our own stories is one of the most radical acts we can undertake. And in that act of speaking out loud, real change begins. Writing has always been political, and in the hands of these women, it becomes a tool for healing as well.
If you haven’t read any of these yet, be prepared: these are not books meant to comfort. They are for readers willing to let go of certainties, be challenged by the words, and emerge on the other side transformed—more aware, more open, more alive.
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The article above was edited by Mariana do Patrocínio.
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