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Nothing Can Hurt You Now
Lucinda has lived her whole life in the shadow of her glamorous and outgoing high-end model sister Viviana. But when Viviana suddenly goes missing on a trip to São Paulo, Lucinda drops everything to track her down. Met with indifference from the police, Lucinda starts her own investigation with the help of Viviana's girlfriend Graziane. The deeper into Viviana's life Lucinda goes, the more she realises that she doesn't really know anything about her sister. When Lucinda discovers that Viviana has a thriving career as a sex worker, the list of possible outcomes widens. A cryptic text from her sister suggests she is still alive, but is being held hostage by a mysterious person. Lucinda has seen enough crime dramas to know that time is of the essence in kidnapping cases, and with the minutes ticking by, she and Graziane must track down men from Viviana's past to figure out who might want to do her harm. An acerbic and propulsive thriller that crackles with fury at a society that treats women as property.
192 pages, Hardcover
Published February 2, 2023
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January 28, 2023
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A banger of a premise is let-down by sensationalistic storytelling, a banal plot, and a writing style that for all its attempts to be gritty & edgy comes across as laughable. Worst still, the narrative seems under the impression that it is doing a lot, in terms of unconventional female characters and challenging simplistic representations of women. Ironically the novel’s portrayal of a female character who is presented as someone who we should see as empowering and irreverent seemed very male-gazey. Had I not known the author, I would have assumed her to be the classic product of a male author who thinks he is single-handedly breaking the mold in terms of fictional women by presenting us with a beautiful, clever, and manipulative young woman who is able to maintain an expensive lifestyle through sex work. And she also has a girlfriend, who is just as sexy, and they sometimes work together because tee-hee their clients don’t realize that they really do enjoy having sex with each other. But before my rant continues, I will give an outline of the story: set in Brazil the first chapters follow Lucinda, who has long felt overshadowed by her younger sister, Vivi. Vivi works as a model, not a particularly famous one given the colorism rampant in this sector, and seems to lead a fairly glamorous existence. The two sisters are not particularly close but when Lucinda learns that Vivi has gone missing on a trip to São Paulo, she immediately tries to track her down. The police do not seem particularly concerned or competent enough to do anything about it so Lucinda has to rely on her barely-there-investigative skills. She gets some help from vivi's girlfriend Graziane, and soon discovers that they were both sex workers. This makes Vivi’s disappearance all the more concerning as she could have been taken by one of her clients. We also get chapters with Graziane, who, other than being white & stunning, does not have a semblance of personality. Later we also get to follow Vivi herself, as she tries to survive and outsmart her captors. Her chapters were the most risible of the lot. If you like the writing of Alex Michaelides or the duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen , I can maybe see her chapters working for you. I however found this type of writing utterly ludicrous. Worst even that having to follow Vivi directly, are her smutty book/journal entries. Such as: “My monster’s insides writhed languidly, wanting more”, “I offer up my fingers as a sacrifice and feel the hungry creature devouring them until it’s satisfied”,
Lucinda believes will be a bestseller…se, ciao. To me, Vivi’s writing was beyond garbage. Maybe if it had been more campy and self-aware, as opposed to trying and failing to be erotic and real, when it was anything but, I could have coped with them…but as things stand, Vivi’s writing is beyond cringe. Lucinda initially seems like a bit more of an interesting take on the very much tired dynamic of the two sisters or bff where the one who is charming & magnetic goes missing or dies, and the more conventional and boring one is left behind. Lucinda does muay thai, and that’s about the only interesting thing about her. Her character, similarly to Graziane, besides her physical appearance, is not at all fleshed out.
The characters in this book are incredibly cliched and often verge on stereotyping. Why did the author have to make Vivi, who cannot help being cold and intelligent, ‘autistic’? Why adopt a male-gazey lens to depict sex work and an f/f relationship? Why are all the men more or less the same shade of bad? Why rely on so many sensationalistic plot points and scenes?
While I did find the narrative’s take on female empowerment and its exploration of sex work and male-perpetuated violence against women flashy and shallow; these are realities that deserve to be portrayed with depth and nuance, not to make your characters into #edgygirlbosses. Vivi is a walking talking cliche. From her various ‘personas’, from the ‘party girl’ who she describes in a way that seemed to me an embarrassing take on Amy Dunne’s ‘cool girl monologue’: “How to define the character who gets me places in life: the party girl? It’s like that Sia song, the one that begins ‘Party girls don’t get hurt.’ But not the depressing bit, the positive bit. […] sheìs well-travelled, she’s cool, never a downer […] she’ll open her mouth and sing […] almost like a geisha and her shamisen” (dare i say, making your neurodivergent character quote a sia song...it's a choice that did not age well). But she also has a quirky side, almost a la Manic Pixie Dream Girl, because she reads comics and speaks “a little Japanese” from “watching too much anime” and “invents her own fashion. Paperclips as earrings […] dungarees and clogs”. But wait, you say, Vivi’s characterisation is intentional. Lucinda reminds us that she may be this way because of an intentional act/effect on her sister’s part: “‘I’m a weirdo girl’ thing. Hiding in plain sight with her glittery Nomi Malone-Sailor Moon”...which may as well be but to describe it this way makes it risible. Vivi’s chapters also try hard to impress on us that she really is super edgy and built differently. Her pov is so affected as to be entirely OTT in a story that tries to be gritty & real: “It’s so unfair. I never asked to be this self-conscious”. Rather than allowing us to see Vivi, and to realize why she may behave/seem as she does, we are told straight-up: “I know that my apparent lack of interest in everything around me can appear to come from pure coldness. But I’m not trying to appear cold and distant, nor do I take pleasure from it’”. Her inner monologue was painfully studied and not at all convincing. The narrative's attempts at self-awareness when it comes to female characters and how many women have learnt social strategies to adapt to socially accepted gender norms made its shortcomings all the more glaring.
Although we are told that Vivi and Graziane are in a relationship and care about one another I did not buy them together. Their moments together or the passages detailing their relationship conform to your straight man’s feitish-y vision of wlw. The way their scenes were written ranged from icky to strangely mechanical: “But what really sealed the deal was when Vivi went home with her and gave her that wonderful oral. Graziane often tried to repay her with her best technique”, “The two of them were symbiotically in love. Any time they were in the same city, no matter how exhausted from their respective appointments each always ready to spoil the other with an orgasm, one woman totally focused on the other” (that last line…dajeeee).
In comparison, the narrative’s depiction of microaggressions as well as its examination of sexual harassment, racism, and colorisms seemed to be far more grounded in reality. I just wish that the author could have maintained that level of sobriety and uncompromising realism when delving touching upon other serious subject matters.
The setting was rendered fairly well but I did grow tired of the narration having to really emphasize certain things in a way that failed to be nostalgic and just seemed very much a la ‘back in my day’. For instance: “It was 1998 . People still thought CDs”...And some places are described simplistically, especially in Vivi’s novel/journal: Dubai is “very masculine” and “very Arabian Nights, only with technology”, men love going there because their “pricks feel a mile long”. There were several passages discussing porn and making very generalised pronouncements on young men vs. older men.
I also found myself questioning many descriptions, such as “His chest was also brown, but from the sun, not naturally. It was also shaved: he must have been a swimmer. Or a rent boy.” Or having a character wondering whether a male character has feelings for another man she can’t just say that, she has to add: “Brokeback Mountain kind of thing”.
The novel’s trying to be gritty tone did not mesh together with the overdramatized storyline and affected the writing style. These kinds of one-note characters might have worked better in a noir, but their tumblresque way of speaking would have still come across as farcical. Maybe if the narrative had really leaned into being playfully absurd, a la Mona Awad, or more entertaining, a la Oyinkan Braithwaite, maybe then I would have bought into the silly and pulpy writing and exaggerated characters. It seemed like Campos was trying to be something dark and heavy-going along the lines of something by Gillian Flynn, but then ended up being closer to Victoria Helen Stone's Jane Doe or Colleen Hoover's Verity. If you happen to like those novels, chances are you will like Campos' Nothing Can Hurt You Now. But if you are looking for a psychological thriller or a more nuanced exploration of sex work, sisterhood, and violence, like in Liz Moore's Long Bright River, you might want to give Nothing Can Hurt You Now a wide berth.
A banger of a premise is let-down by sensationalistic storytelling, a banal plot, and a writing style that for all its attempts to be gritty & edgy comes across as laughable. Worst still, the narrative seems under the impression that it is doing a lot, in terms of unconventional female characters and challenging simplistic representations of women. Ironically the novel’s portrayal of a female character who is presented as someone who we should see as empowering and irreverent seemed very male-gazey. Had I not known the author, I would have assumed her to be the classic product of a male author who thinks he is single-handedly breaking the mold in terms of fictional women by presenting us with a beautiful, clever, and manipulative young woman who is able to maintain an expensive lifestyle through sex work. And she also has a girlfriend, who is just as sexy, and they sometimes work together because tee-hee their clients don’t realize that they really do enjoy having sex with each other. But before my rant continues, I will give an outline of the story: set in Brazil the first chapters follow Lucinda, who has long felt overshadowed by her younger sister, Vivi. Vivi works as a model, not a particularly famous one given the colorism rampant in this sector, and seems to lead a fairly glamorous existence. The two sisters are not particularly close but when Lucinda learns that Vivi has gone missing on a trip to São Paulo, she immediately tries to track her down. The police do not seem particularly concerned or competent enough to do anything about it so Lucinda has to rely on her barely-there-investigative skills. She gets some help from vivi's girlfriend Graziane, and soon discovers that they were both sex workers. This makes Vivi’s disappearance all the more concerning as she could have been taken by one of her clients. We also get chapters with Graziane, who, other than being white & stunning, does not have a semblance of personality. Later we also get to follow Vivi herself, as she tries to survive and outsmart her captors. Her chapters were the most risible of the lot. If you like the writing of Alex Michaelides or the duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen , I can maybe see her chapters working for you. I however found this type of writing utterly ludicrous. Worst even that having to follow Vivi directly, are her smutty book/journal entries. Such as: “My monster’s insides writhed languidly, wanting more”, “I offer up my fingers as a sacrifice and feel the hungry creature devouring them until it’s satisfied”,
Lucinda believes will be a bestseller…se, ciao. To me, Vivi’s writing was beyond garbage. Maybe if it had been more campy and self-aware, as opposed to trying and failing to be erotic and real, when it was anything but, I could have coped with them…but as things stand, Vivi’s writing is beyond cringe. Lucinda initially seems like a bit more of an interesting take on the very much tired dynamic of the two sisters or bff where the one who is charming & magnetic goes missing or dies, and the more conventional and boring one is left behind. Lucinda does muay thai, and that’s about the only interesting thing about her. Her character, similarly to Graziane, besides her physical appearance, is not at all fleshed out.
The characters in this book are incredibly cliched and often verge on stereotyping. Why did the author have to make Vivi, who cannot help being cold and intelligent, ‘autistic’? Why adopt a male-gazey lens to depict sex work and an f/f relationship? Why are all the men more or less the same shade of bad? Why rely on so many sensationalistic plot points and scenes?
While I did find the narrative’s take on female empowerment and its exploration of sex work and male-perpetuated violence against women flashy and shallow; these are realities that deserve to be portrayed with depth and nuance, not to make your characters into #edgygirlbosses. Vivi is a walking talking cliche. From her various ‘personas’, from the ‘party girl’ who she describes in a way that seemed to me an embarrassing take on Amy Dunne’s ‘cool girl monologue’: “How to define the character who gets me places in life: the party girl? It’s like that Sia song, the one that begins ‘Party girls don’t get hurt.’ But not the depressing bit, the positive bit. […] sheìs well-travelled, she’s cool, never a downer […] she’ll open her mouth and sing […] almost like a geisha and her shamisen” (dare i say, making your neurodivergent character quote a sia song...it's a choice that did not age well). But she also has a quirky side, almost a la Manic Pixie Dream Girl, because she reads comics and speaks “a little Japanese” from “watching too much anime” and “invents her own fashion. Paperclips as earrings […] dungarees and clogs”. But wait, you say, Vivi’s characterisation is intentional. Lucinda reminds us that she may be this way because of an intentional act/effect on her sister’s part: “‘I’m a weirdo girl’ thing. Hiding in plain sight with her glittery Nomi Malone-Sailor Moon”...which may as well be but to describe it this way makes it risible. Vivi’s chapters also try hard to impress on us that she really is super edgy and built differently. Her pov is so affected as to be entirely OTT in a story that tries to be gritty & real: “It’s so unfair. I never asked to be this self-conscious”. Rather than allowing us to see Vivi, and to realize why she may behave/seem as she does, we are told straight-up: “I know that my apparent lack of interest in everything around me can appear to come from pure coldness. But I’m not trying to appear cold and distant, nor do I take pleasure from it’”. Her inner monologue was painfully studied and not at all convincing. The narrative's attempts at self-awareness when it comes to female characters and how many women have learnt social strategies to adapt to socially accepted gender norms made its shortcomings all the more glaring.
Although we are told that Vivi and Graziane are in a relationship and care about one another I did not buy them together. Their moments together or the passages detailing their relationship conform to your straight man’s feitish-y vision of wlw. The way their scenes were written ranged from icky to strangely mechanical: “But what really sealed the deal was when Vivi went home with her and gave her that wonderful oral. Graziane often tried to repay her with her best technique”, “The two of them were symbiotically in love. Any time they were in the same city, no matter how exhausted from their respective appointments each always ready to spoil the other with an orgasm, one woman totally focused on the other” (that last line…dajeeee).
In comparison, the narrative’s depiction of microaggressions as well as its examination of sexual harassment, racism, and colorisms seemed to be far more grounded in reality. I just wish that the author could have maintained that level of sobriety and uncompromising realism when delving touching upon other serious subject matters.
The setting was rendered fairly well but I did grow tired of the narration having to really emphasize certain things in a way that failed to be nostalgic and just seemed very much a la ‘back in my day’. For instance: “It was 1998 . People still thought CDs”...And some places are described simplistically, especially in Vivi’s novel/journal: Dubai is “very masculine” and “very Arabian Nights, only with technology”, men love going there because their “pricks feel a mile long”. There were several passages discussing porn and making very generalised pronouncements on young men vs. older men.
I also found myself questioning many descriptions, such as “His chest was also brown, but from the sun, not naturally. It was also shaved: he must have been a swimmer. Or a rent boy.” Or having a character wondering whether a male character has feelings for another man she can’t just say that, she has to add: “Brokeback Mountain kind of thing”.
The novel’s trying to be gritty tone did not mesh together with the overdramatized storyline and affected the writing style. These kinds of one-note characters might have worked better in a noir, but their tumblresque way of speaking would have still come across as farcical. Maybe if the narrative had really leaned into being playfully absurd, a la Mona Awad, or more entertaining, a la Oyinkan Braithwaite, maybe then I would have bought into the silly and pulpy writing and exaggerated characters. It seemed like Campos was trying to be something dark and heavy-going along the lines of something by Gillian Flynn, but then ended up being closer to Victoria Helen Stone's Jane Doe or Colleen Hoover's Verity. If you happen to like those novels, chances are you will like Campos' Nothing Can Hurt You Now. But if you are looking for a psychological thriller or a more nuanced exploration of sex work, sisterhood, and violence, like in Liz Moore's Long Bright River, you might want to give Nothing Can Hurt You Now a wide berth.
November 21, 2021
Há séculos que as mulheres tem feito do gênero de horror/terror (dependendo dos dispositivos do medo, do susto) um aliado pra tratar de coisas mais complexas que a cor do sangue que escorre de algum lugar ou uma criatura idiota como o filme de 1931 fez do Frankenstein (muito mais complexo no livro da Mary Shelley). O terror vive no cotidiano de mulheres e pessoas identificadas como; vive no sorriso de um cara "aliado" e simpático, desses que diz que "nada vai acontecer com você" enquanto ele estiver por perto. Gostei bastante do que a Simone Campos ensaia aqui, um livro muito mais de atmosfera (que nem o A Vez de Morrer) do que de enredo, acaba suscitando muitas questões que parecem banais no meio das notícias de violência cotidiana, fazendo quem lê ir além das bordas da história proposta pelo livro.
escrevi sobre na Suplemento Pernambuco https://suplementopernambuco.com.br/a...
escrevi sobre na Suplemento Pernambuco https://suplementopernambuco.com.br/a...
December 17, 2022
My experience whilst reading Nothing Can Hurt You Now was one of being fully engaged by and immersed in the narrative, however this impression has cooled somewhat since finishing the book a week or so ago. Whilst it made for a propulsive read at the time, looking back I think there are threads of themes that the novel touches on and leaves unexplored, which if they had been explored in greater detail would have made for a more satisfying read overall: some of the characterisation was pretty surface level and things resolved a bit too conveniently.
Thank you Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
November 10, 2025
On my blog.
Actual rating 1.5
CWs: kidnap, rape, abuse
Galley provided by publisher
Nothing Can Hurt You Now is, supposedly, a thriller, following a woman who starts to investigate after her sister goes missing. Now, you would think this is going to easily be a good read. Well, it’s not. This is a lesson in how to make a thriller so completely unthrilling it’s almost impressive.
(A side note here, because I think it’s always hard to tell to what extent the translation is an issue in books like this. Maybe, if I could have read this untranslated, then it wouldn’t have ended like this. Maybe.)
As is probably clear, the major issue I had with this one is that I didn’t find it thrilling in the least. There was no sense of urgency, no build up of tension. The only reason I felt pressed to continue was to actually finish it. I think there were two aspects here: the first half of the book was, perhaps expectedly, not that thrilling. I had hoped it was building up to things, that this was just about the slow discovery that something was wrong. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
In part two, the POV changes abruptly, so that we’re with Vivi (the kidnapped sister), at which point everything becomes clear. We know exactly what happened and who’s behind it and any sort of hint at tension drains from it. The only question to be answered is how she gets out. Because, despite the author’s best efforts, there’s no tension there as to whether she’ll survive. Plus the twist is kind of predictable, given what’s established about Vivi in the first half.
This is, really, the only actual issue I had with the book. But, given that this is supposed to be a thriller, it’s kind of a big one. It’s in the name: I want to be thrilled by it. I want to feel my heart starting to race. Unfortunately for this book, none of that happened.
Actual rating 1.5
CWs: kidnap, rape, abuse
Galley provided by publisher
Nothing Can Hurt You Now is, supposedly, a thriller, following a woman who starts to investigate after her sister goes missing. Now, you would think this is going to easily be a good read. Well, it’s not. This is a lesson in how to make a thriller so completely unthrilling it’s almost impressive.
(A side note here, because I think it’s always hard to tell to what extent the translation is an issue in books like this. Maybe, if I could have read this untranslated, then it wouldn’t have ended like this. Maybe.)
As is probably clear, the major issue I had with this one is that I didn’t find it thrilling in the least. There was no sense of urgency, no build up of tension. The only reason I felt pressed to continue was to actually finish it. I think there were two aspects here: the first half of the book was, perhaps expectedly, not that thrilling. I had hoped it was building up to things, that this was just about the slow discovery that something was wrong. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
In part two, the POV changes abruptly, so that we’re with Vivi (the kidnapped sister), at which point everything becomes clear. We know exactly what happened and who’s behind it and any sort of hint at tension drains from it. The only question to be answered is how she gets out. Because, despite the author’s best efforts, there’s no tension there as to whether she’ll survive. Plus the twist is kind of predictable, given what’s established about Vivi in the first half.
This is, really, the only actual issue I had with the book. But, given that this is supposed to be a thriller, it’s kind of a big one. It’s in the name: I want to be thrilled by it. I want to feel my heart starting to race. Unfortunately for this book, none of that happened.
January 9, 2025
One missing sister compels another to dig into her life and track where she last was to see if she can find her.
I expected to be instantly drawn into the story. It's short, less than 200 pages, so I expected fast plot, quick intro to characters, and then speed racing to the search. Instead, I felt like this one meandered. We got the history of the sister, odd views into their first modeling gigs, sidenotes into passwords, and even details about their mom and her adventures. All of it slowed the thriller part down and kept derailing the momentum.
There were a lot of stances and ideas that felt forced - models, sex workers, even sisters and families. I was ready to feel moved or even righteously angry but, instead, I felt scolded, talked down to, and over explained. I wanted to love this one but I definitely failed to connect to the story of feel drawn into the mystery.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
I expected to be instantly drawn into the story. It's short, less than 200 pages, so I expected fast plot, quick intro to characters, and then speed racing to the search. Instead, I felt like this one meandered. We got the history of the sister, odd views into their first modeling gigs, sidenotes into passwords, and even details about their mom and her adventures. All of it slowed the thriller part down and kept derailing the momentum.
There were a lot of stances and ideas that felt forced - models, sex workers, even sisters and families. I was ready to feel moved or even righteously angry but, instead, I felt scolded, talked down to, and over explained. I wanted to love this one but I definitely failed to connect to the story of feel drawn into the mystery.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
December 9, 2023
I found this to be a very muddled book. The Luciana/Graziane storylines just seemed rushed and at times genuinely unneeded, particularly with plot progression, Lucy's switch into immediate worry about Vivi landed rather badly with me and the red herrings of people it wasn't seemed time-consuming rather than mysterious.
Vivi's storyline I very much enjoyed and the jocking of "playing the whore" was brilliant in places. The framework of Vivi's book called back to the simpler times of "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" but also acted as a brilliant mechanism to introduce Lucy to sex work as well as the reader.
Part of me wishes that only one perspective was focused on because while both had potential, they didn't seem fully formed. I would have much preferred a solo Lucy story where she slowly uncovers Vivi's past and comes to acceptance and realisation as she navigates this strange unknown that would lead her to be paranoid about Graziane or the clients. Alternatively, a locked room thriller delving into Vivi's treatment and the necessity of placating a client to stay safe.
Vivi's storyline I very much enjoyed and the jocking of "playing the whore" was brilliant in places. The framework of Vivi's book called back to the simpler times of "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" but also acted as a brilliant mechanism to introduce Lucy to sex work as well as the reader.
Part of me wishes that only one perspective was focused on because while both had potential, they didn't seem fully formed. I would have much preferred a solo Lucy story where she slowly uncovers Vivi's past and comes to acceptance and realisation as she navigates this strange unknown that would lead her to be paranoid about Graziane or the clients. Alternatively, a locked room thriller delving into Vivi's treatment and the necessity of placating a client to stay safe.
February 5, 2024
While Lucinda is trying to find her sister, we discover the secrets Vivi has tried to keep hidden. While I wasn't a complete fan of the writing style, I did enjoy the story and almost happy with how it ended.
Thanks to Netgalley and Pushkin Press, Pushkin Vertigo for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley and Pushkin Press, Pushkin Vertigo for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.
February 14, 2024
Lucinda has lived her whole life in the shadow of her glamorous and outgoing high-end model sister Viviana. But when Viviana suddenly goes missing on a trip to São Paulo, Lucinda drops everything to track her down. Met with indifference from the police, Lucinda starts her own investigation with the help of Viviana's girlfriend Graziane. The deeper into Viviana's life Lucinda goes, the more she realizes that she doesn't really know anything about her sister. When Lucinda discovers that Viviana has a thriving career as a sex worker, the list of possible outcomes widens. A cryptic text from her sister suggests she is still alive, but is being held hostage by a mysterious person. Lucinda has seen enough crime dramas to know that time is of the essence in kidnapping cases, and with the minutes ticking by, she and Graziane must track down men from Viviana's past to figure out who might want to do her harm. An acerbic and propulsive thriller that crackles with fury at a society that treats women as property.
Interesting story from start to finish.
Interesting story from start to finish.
January 19, 2024
This is a translated Brazilian thriller by Simone Campos. Following Viviana’s disappearance, her sister Lucinda goes on a mission to find her sister before it is too late. Lucinda uncovers a web of secrets about her sister’s modeling career, and Viviana’s relationship with her girlfriend, Graziane. The plight of searching for Viviana takes Lucinda on a reflective journey of their lives growing up.
Curating Edits Book Review
This was a page-turner, “Nothing Can Hurt You Now”, which had us on the edge of our seats. Lucinda finds out her sister lives a double life as a sex worker. She also finds a book Viviana has been writing about that aspect of her life. Can the pieces of the book lead Lucinda to find her sister? Will the police take the disappearance of Viviana seriously before it’s too late? Another favorite we have about this book is that we have Lucinda’s perspective, a part of Graziane’s perspective, and then we get a perspective from Viviana.
Curating Edits Book Review
This was a page-turner, “Nothing Can Hurt You Now”, which had us on the edge of our seats. Lucinda finds out her sister lives a double life as a sex worker. She also finds a book Viviana has been writing about that aspect of her life. Can the pieces of the book lead Lucinda to find her sister? Will the police take the disappearance of Viviana seriously before it’s too late? Another favorite we have about this book is that we have Lucinda’s perspective, a part of Graziane’s perspective, and then we get a perspective from Viviana.
December 28, 2022
Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!
I had no expectations before picking this up, as this was my first Simone Campos book, but wow, this was brutal. Nothing Can Hurt You Now tells the story of Viviana, who has been missing for almost a full day and her sister is desperately trying to find her. She must face the dark things she discovers about her sister on the way and join forces with her girlfriend if she wants to have any chance at all of finding Viviana, alive or dead.
The first half of the book reads more like a mystery and I did not always enjoy it, but the second half blew me away. I will not go into specifics as to why because I really don't want to spoil anything, but it was brutal, and such an unflinching look into the prejudice and complete apathy that women will face when they suffer a crime, not only generally as a woman, but so much more if they are poor, non-white and a prostitute.
The translation had a couple of points where I feel it was a bit awkward but not a huge problem in my opinion. Also the writing was rambling a lot in the beginning, a mix of actually looking into the mystery of the disappearance and musing about Viviana's situation, Lucy and Vivi's life story, chasing dead ends and so on. Now that I finished the book, I don't mind it so much anymore, I think it keeps the book real. But it did drag a bit.
I was between two and three stars during maybe half of the book, but as said, the second half knocked it out of the park and cemented Simone Campos for me as a fantastic thriller writer.
I had no expectations before picking this up, as this was my first Simone Campos book, but wow, this was brutal. Nothing Can Hurt You Now tells the story of Viviana, who has been missing for almost a full day and her sister is desperately trying to find her. She must face the dark things she discovers about her sister on the way and join forces with her girlfriend if she wants to have any chance at all of finding Viviana, alive or dead.
The first half of the book reads more like a mystery and I did not always enjoy it, but the second half blew me away. I will not go into specifics as to why because I really don't want to spoil anything, but it was brutal, and such an unflinching look into the prejudice and complete apathy that women will face when they suffer a crime, not only generally as a woman, but so much more if they are poor, non-white and a prostitute.
The translation had a couple of points where I feel it was a bit awkward but not a huge problem in my opinion. Also the writing was rambling a lot in the beginning, a mix of actually looking into the mystery of the disappearance and musing about Viviana's situation, Lucy and Vivi's life story, chasing dead ends and so on. Now that I finished the book, I don't mind it so much anymore, I think it keeps the book real. But it did drag a bit.
I was between two and three stars during maybe half of the book, but as said, the second half knocked it out of the park and cemented Simone Campos for me as a fantastic thriller writer.
December 19, 2023
I went into this one not really knowing what to expect and I think it made me enjoy the book even more.
The book feels like it’s split into two halves, the first half is kind of a mystery where Lucinda learns the realities and dangers of her sisters secret life. You could definitely feel the tension building in this one, and it felt inevitable that Viviana was going to become enthralled in this dark world. I really enjoyed seeing the differences between the two sisters and the stigmatism that was portrayed in the book (I won’t give anything away). What I will say is that Viviana’s perspective was very refreshing and how she challenged the way society deems women should act.
The second half of the book really ramps up the disturb factor, with many raw and dark moments. I only marked this one down slightly as the second half of the book did feel a little rushed but I thoroughly enjoyed and would love to read more by @simon3campos
The book feels like it’s split into two halves, the first half is kind of a mystery where Lucinda learns the realities and dangers of her sisters secret life. You could definitely feel the tension building in this one, and it felt inevitable that Viviana was going to become enthralled in this dark world. I really enjoyed seeing the differences between the two sisters and the stigmatism that was portrayed in the book (I won’t give anything away). What I will say is that Viviana’s perspective was very refreshing and how she challenged the way society deems women should act.
The second half of the book really ramps up the disturb factor, with many raw and dark moments. I only marked this one down slightly as the second half of the book did feel a little rushed but I thoroughly enjoyed and would love to read more by @simon3campos
December 13, 2023
I wasn't sure where this story was going to take me-- something I feel at the beginning of each new read. However, there was something different about this book (in a good way!). The characters' culture and experiences are very different from mine and what I experience, but it was so well written, that I felt I could understand them; I could see myself in them both (even though the two main characters were vastly distinct in their individuality).
Around halfway through this novel, the story really began to pick up for me. The suspense of what was going on and how it was going to end kept me from putting it down. I had to know how it would play out. In an attempt to avoid sharing spoilers, I will leave it at this: even til the last page, I was enraptured by the characters. (and I mean all of them). Each person and point of view was carefully crafted in a way that no difference in lifestyle or culture could hinder. I believed in these women and I was rooting for them til the end.
Truly a great read, but it is worth noting that the book's description could possibly use a trigger warning. There wasn't anything too graphic, but there are situations within the novel that could make some readers uncomfortable or upset.
Thanks to NetGalley!
Around halfway through this novel, the story really began to pick up for me. The suspense of what was going on and how it was going to end kept me from putting it down. I had to know how it would play out. In an attempt to avoid sharing spoilers, I will leave it at this: even til the last page, I was enraptured by the characters. (and I mean all of them). Each person and point of view was carefully crafted in a way that no difference in lifestyle or culture could hinder. I believed in these women and I was rooting for them til the end.
Truly a great read, but it is worth noting that the book's description could possibly use a trigger warning. There wasn't anything too graphic, but there are situations within the novel that could make some readers uncomfortable or upset.
Thanks to NetGalley!
January 30, 2023
I loved this!
The story follows sisters Lucinda and Viviana. Viviana, a model, is away for work and Lucinda is looking after her house. When she gets a message from Graziane, a lady who Viviana was supposed to be meeting up with, saying that Viviana has gone missing, panic ensues.
The Brazilian police aren't helpful at all so the women take matters into their own hands. Lucinda searches through her sister's personal items, trying to find out what could have happened. She discovers the truth about Viviana's relationship with Graziane and learns that her sister was actually a sex worker. This then makes their list of potential suspects that much more difficult.
After receiving a text which suggests that Viviana has been kidnapped, the chase to get to her before anything happens begins.
I really like the juxtaposition between the sisters in this novel. Lucinda is very 'by the book' and judges Viviana a little for what she does. I really loved Viviana's point of view and how she describes what a woman's place in society should be and how she challenges that. Really enjoyable!
The story follows sisters Lucinda and Viviana. Viviana, a model, is away for work and Lucinda is looking after her house. When she gets a message from Graziane, a lady who Viviana was supposed to be meeting up with, saying that Viviana has gone missing, panic ensues.
The Brazilian police aren't helpful at all so the women take matters into their own hands. Lucinda searches through her sister's personal items, trying to find out what could have happened. She discovers the truth about Viviana's relationship with Graziane and learns that her sister was actually a sex worker. This then makes their list of potential suspects that much more difficult.
After receiving a text which suggests that Viviana has been kidnapped, the chase to get to her before anything happens begins.
I really like the juxtaposition between the sisters in this novel. Lucinda is very 'by the book' and judges Viviana a little for what she does. I really loved Viviana's point of view and how she describes what a woman's place in society should be and how she challenges that. Really enjoyable!
February 7, 2023
Nothing Can Hurt You Now by @simon3campos
Thank you to @pushkin_press for having me on this tour!
Recently translated to English, this thriller shows you the inside look of two sisters, Lucinda and Viviana. Driven apart over time by their different outlooks on life, but when Vivi goes missing, all her dark secrets unravel and Lucinda must look past those pieces to find her sister before it’s too late.
An impressive story that dives into self-image, social expectations and the misunderstandings of Brazilian lifestyle that come with the pressures to fit in. I enjoyed the inside look into Viviana’s private life where she has gone from a modeling career to prostitution and has been writing in a journal about her experiences and outlook on life. This was probably my favorite part of the entire story.
A no holds barred look from her point of view on her lifestyle and how others have treated her or look at her. It’s a very raw look into their lives and the dangers that come lurking around all of these corners.
Thank you to @pushkin_press for having me on this tour!
Recently translated to English, this thriller shows you the inside look of two sisters, Lucinda and Viviana. Driven apart over time by their different outlooks on life, but when Vivi goes missing, all her dark secrets unravel and Lucinda must look past those pieces to find her sister before it’s too late.
An impressive story that dives into self-image, social expectations and the misunderstandings of Brazilian lifestyle that come with the pressures to fit in. I enjoyed the inside look into Viviana’s private life where she has gone from a modeling career to prostitution and has been writing in a journal about her experiences and outlook on life. This was probably my favorite part of the entire story.
A no holds barred look from her point of view on her lifestyle and how others have treated her or look at her. It’s a very raw look into their lives and the dangers that come lurking around all of these corners.
February 12, 2023
Lucinda and Vivianna are sisters but could not be more different, Vivianna is a model and one day whilst at work Lucinda gets a call from one of Vivianna’s friends to say she did not meet her as arranged and that she is not answering her phone.
Lucinda contacts Graziane who she discovers is more than a friend of Vivianna, and that is not the only thing that she discovers about her sister. This is a really interesting read not something that I would pick up usually but I really enjoy translated fiction and the author Simone Campos is Brazilian and the book was translated from Portuguese and I was drawn to the blurb.
Lucinda is horrified by what she discovers about her sister, the book is spilt into three parts, the first sets the scene of Vivianna’s disappearance and the second is much faster paced and dramatic and the third is the gripping conclusion. It is a dark read and in places it is a graphic and brutal, it was a thriller that kept me reading until right until the end.
Lucinda contacts Graziane who she discovers is more than a friend of Vivianna, and that is not the only thing that she discovers about her sister. This is a really interesting read not something that I would pick up usually but I really enjoy translated fiction and the author Simone Campos is Brazilian and the book was translated from Portuguese and I was drawn to the blurb.
Lucinda is horrified by what she discovers about her sister, the book is spilt into three parts, the first sets the scene of Vivianna’s disappearance and the second is much faster paced and dramatic and the third is the gripping conclusion. It is a dark read and in places it is a graphic and brutal, it was a thriller that kept me reading until right until the end.
February 9, 2023
I enjoyed the first half of this book a lot; the development of a character discovering theh didn't know their sister the way they thought they did, whilst uncovering clues behind her disappearance, was very compelling to read. The switch of perspectives in the second half never quite worked as well for me, although I couldn't quite say why, perhaps just that the tension dropped a bit, although I did appreciate seeing her exercise her own autonomy.
There was a slight sex work shaming throughout that was mostly countered, but left me a little uneasy.
Overall, an enjoyable thriller, but mostly interesting for the backstory of the two sisters, and the discussions of race, colourism, and gender in Brazil.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC*
There was a slight sex work shaming throughout that was mostly countered, but left me a little uneasy.
Overall, an enjoyable thriller, but mostly interesting for the backstory of the two sisters, and the discussions of race, colourism, and gender in Brazil.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC*
December 12, 2023
Simone Campos has a voice and plenty to say, and I'm here for it. There's a lot of excellent information, and observation, in ‘Nothing Can Hurt You Now’ about women and the sex industry. I think I would have preferred to hear what the author has to say in essay format, as opposed to wound into the plot of this novel which fell a little short of the mark for me. It's a translated work, so it's difficult to say whether anything is lost as a result of that process. Some of it felt quite disjointed. Having said that, I feel some of the reviews are unnecessarily harsh and that is not my intention here. This book was ok. I really look forward to what Simone does next.
June 13, 2023
Suspense, mistério, horror? Tudo isso junto.
November 20, 2023
3.6
There are components here that are really fantastic, and then there's the rest. Mostly I was relieved it was short, prolonging what was left of the story would have been a big mistake.
There are components here that are really fantastic, and then there's the rest. Mostly I was relieved it was short, prolonging what was left of the story would have been a big mistake.
January 1, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Nothing Can Hurt You Now is a propulsive thriller that forces readers to ask the question: how well do you know your family? This short, translated book begins with Lucinda learning her younger sister, Vivianna, is missing. Lucinda jumps into action. When the police refuse to help, she goes across Brazil to find out the truth about her sister’s disappearance. Along the way, she discovers that her sister has moved from modelling to sex work and has a life that Lucinda is completely unaware of. Lucinda must team up with Graziane, Viviana’s girlfriend to find Viviana before it is too late.
First off there were some cool noir aesthetics in this book, and I’m a sucker for a bit of noir. The amateur detective putting themselves in danger and infiltrating a lawless world, which was captured quite nicely. It was also cool to see queer women inhabiting the noir space as both Viviana and Lucinda are bisexual. While some of the messaging about objectification and feminism was heavy-handed and reductive, there were some great bits around the colourism and racism that both sisters faced when trying to make it in the world. They are two women shaped by a childhood of pretending to fit in.
“The game being played by both sisters was that of appearing normal — in other words, white — just like everyone else at their school.”
These moments did serve to show how both women have taken different trajectories in their lives based on social barriers that keep them constrained and work against them when one of them goes missing.
This story had two major plot lines running through it: Lucinda and Graziane attempting to track down Viviana, and Viviana trying to understand the new situation she has found herself in after being abducted. These two storylines appeared disjointed and seemed to exist because the story had written itself into a corner with Lucinda’s investigation and had to switch to Viviana’s perspective to keep the story going.
The perspectives themselves occasionally got in the way of the story itself. Lucinda narrates what she is doing moment by moment, often passing judgment on her sister before backpedalling to absolve her sister in her mind. She comes across as dismissive of Vivianna’s struggles as a neurodivergent person and sex worker. She refers to her sister’s style as potentially “a chaotic attempt at self-expression by someone who had, let’s not forget, been diagnosed as autistic”.
Lucinda seems to view her sister as some form of warning of what her life could have been like. “If I hadn’t toed the line, it would have been me”. These moments are indicative of the universalist feminist claims that run through this book, often lacking nuance, which is unfortunate in a book that could have said some really important things surrounding the objectification of women. Lucinda’s views are never challenged and are passed off as the thoughts of a protective and scared older sister.
Within Lucinda’s narration there is plenty of cutting in and out of flashbacks and jumping into other’s heads for their thoughts before jumping back to Lucinda. These flashbacks are only signalled by the shift from past to present tense and vice versa. They serve to dump the information on you rather than explain or integrate pertinent details.
Viviana on the other hand becomes a manic pixie dream girl version of the sex work industry. She’s (potentially) autistic but refutes the diagnosis — which is fair enough but the way it's done seems to be done in the “I’m not autistic I’m just quirky”. She’s aloof, she's well-read, she’s unconventional, she’s well travelled, she’s hot. As a reader, we are forced into Viviana’s head and are only given her assertions when it comes to what’s happening around her. She mentions that she “could detect some bisexual signals coming from” a character but as the reader this is never shown to the reader, we just have to trust her assertion. She decides that she “wasn’t all that special in this whole mess” of her kidnapping using some Freudian psychoanalysis to explain things. This is never proven again we have to take her word for it.
This book has a lot of potential as a thriller, however, I struggled with the writing.
Nothing Can Hurt You Now is a propulsive thriller that forces readers to ask the question: how well do you know your family? This short, translated book begins with Lucinda learning her younger sister, Vivianna, is missing. Lucinda jumps into action. When the police refuse to help, she goes across Brazil to find out the truth about her sister’s disappearance. Along the way, she discovers that her sister has moved from modelling to sex work and has a life that Lucinda is completely unaware of. Lucinda must team up with Graziane, Viviana’s girlfriend to find Viviana before it is too late.
First off there were some cool noir aesthetics in this book, and I’m a sucker for a bit of noir. The amateur detective putting themselves in danger and infiltrating a lawless world, which was captured quite nicely. It was also cool to see queer women inhabiting the noir space as both Viviana and Lucinda are bisexual. While some of the messaging about objectification and feminism was heavy-handed and reductive, there were some great bits around the colourism and racism that both sisters faced when trying to make it in the world. They are two women shaped by a childhood of pretending to fit in.
“The game being played by both sisters was that of appearing normal — in other words, white — just like everyone else at their school.”
These moments did serve to show how both women have taken different trajectories in their lives based on social barriers that keep them constrained and work against them when one of them goes missing.
This story had two major plot lines running through it: Lucinda and Graziane attempting to track down Viviana, and Viviana trying to understand the new situation she has found herself in after being abducted. These two storylines appeared disjointed and seemed to exist because the story had written itself into a corner with Lucinda’s investigation and had to switch to Viviana’s perspective to keep the story going.
The perspectives themselves occasionally got in the way of the story itself. Lucinda narrates what she is doing moment by moment, often passing judgment on her sister before backpedalling to absolve her sister in her mind. She comes across as dismissive of Vivianna’s struggles as a neurodivergent person and sex worker. She refers to her sister’s style as potentially “a chaotic attempt at self-expression by someone who had, let’s not forget, been diagnosed as autistic”.
Lucinda seems to view her sister as some form of warning of what her life could have been like. “If I hadn’t toed the line, it would have been me”. These moments are indicative of the universalist feminist claims that run through this book, often lacking nuance, which is unfortunate in a book that could have said some really important things surrounding the objectification of women. Lucinda’s views are never challenged and are passed off as the thoughts of a protective and scared older sister.
Within Lucinda’s narration there is plenty of cutting in and out of flashbacks and jumping into other’s heads for their thoughts before jumping back to Lucinda. These flashbacks are only signalled by the shift from past to present tense and vice versa. They serve to dump the information on you rather than explain or integrate pertinent details.
Viviana on the other hand becomes a manic pixie dream girl version of the sex work industry. She’s (potentially) autistic but refutes the diagnosis — which is fair enough but the way it's done seems to be done in the “I’m not autistic I’m just quirky”. She’s aloof, she's well-read, she’s unconventional, she’s well travelled, she’s hot. As a reader, we are forced into Viviana’s head and are only given her assertions when it comes to what’s happening around her. She mentions that she “could detect some bisexual signals coming from” a character but as the reader this is never shown to the reader, we just have to trust her assertion. She decides that she “wasn’t all that special in this whole mess” of her kidnapping using some Freudian psychoanalysis to explain things. This is never proven again we have to take her word for it.
This book has a lot of potential as a thriller, however, I struggled with the writing.
May 4, 2024
Taking us to a corner of the world our genre reading doesn't normally cover, this Brazilian thriller concerns a missing woman. Viviana was supposed to be the sister to a model, but became a bigger and greater star on that scene than her sibling, Lucinda. Even though they're both the darker, Mestizo, colouring, they have had success but ageing has stilted that somewhat. After seeing an early scene of Lucinda driving around, obviously with her missing sister on her mind, we cut back to the very time when she was told by a friend that Viviana had dropped out of circulation – and the time Lucinda cracks into her sister's laptop and realises just what kind of work she's really doing.
If you can't guess, that's sex work. And it's where my issues with this piece lie. How much of it is through this being a translation or how much is in the original and how much purely in my imagination, I don't know, but this relished Viviana's secret life a little too much. It seemed to want to give us all the details, all the nitty and the gritty, all the ins and outs, to show her as a rounded character and the book as an edgy one, but it seemed to be doing it while getting a kick out of it, feeling round not because Brazilian publishing must be a very Catholic neighbourhood, but to see how salacious it could get.
The book is also intending to talk about subjects, as well as, or probably more than, provide thriller thrills. Lucinda is taller, and perhaps chunkier, than some of her peers, and so her attitude to men and life and hook-ups is here, and of course Viviana's hidden industry allows no end of talk, from her character's own mouth as well, of inept men, possessive men, Brazilian men in general. A section involving lock-picking is very much "cor, guys, look at my research!"; one character is allowed to tell us "I think about everything that super-compressed air can do".
All told, this doesn't really work. The first chunk is revolving around the sister's discovery of the sex work, which gets us to the woman's capture, and when we immediately get told who did it, well, the book is a case of how much it can talk about dodgy masculinity – and how much it can make the hooker have, not a heart of gold, but a Dostoevsky-reading brain of steel. To repeat, genre trappings are not foremost in the author's concerns, not even when it really would have helped matters.
If you can't guess, that's sex work. And it's where my issues with this piece lie. How much of it is through this being a translation or how much is in the original and how much purely in my imagination, I don't know, but this relished Viviana's secret life a little too much. It seemed to want to give us all the details, all the nitty and the gritty, all the ins and outs, to show her as a rounded character and the book as an edgy one, but it seemed to be doing it while getting a kick out of it, feeling round not because Brazilian publishing must be a very Catholic neighbourhood, but to see how salacious it could get.
The book is also intending to talk about subjects, as well as, or probably more than, provide thriller thrills. Lucinda is taller, and perhaps chunkier, than some of her peers, and so her attitude to men and life and hook-ups is here, and of course Viviana's hidden industry allows no end of talk, from her character's own mouth as well, of inept men, possessive men, Brazilian men in general. A section involving lock-picking is very much "cor, guys, look at my research!"; one character is allowed to tell us "I think about everything that super-compressed air can do".
All told, this doesn't really work. The first chunk is revolving around the sister's discovery of the sex work, which gets us to the woman's capture, and when we immediately get told who did it, well, the book is a case of how much it can talk about dodgy masculinity – and how much it can make the hooker have, not a heart of gold, but a Dostoevsky-reading brain of steel. To repeat, genre trappings are not foremost in the author's concerns, not even when it really would have helped matters.
February 19, 2023
Discover the locations in the novel
So this isn’t the prettiest book I have ever read but I like to push my reading boundaries. A book set in the world of prostitution, in Sao Paulo was always going to test me. What a book though. What a story. Sad to think that this could be true.
A girl heads out to Sao Paulo as her sister is missing. Now, imagine that. Missing in a strange city. The girl joins forces with Vivianna’s girlfriend and they try to find out what on earth happened to her and how she could just go missing like that.
That’s when the setting of the novel really shines. Well, through the grime. Sao Paulo, the city we see here at least, is dark and dank. The reality of life here is grim and dangerous. From the favelas, shanty towns and dark corners, we head past the posh houses to where the street walkers tout for business. It’s awful to realise this exists and that girls are trapped into this life through no fault of their own. It’s big money and big crime although they don’t get much cash and the crimes are always against them.
What this book does is look at women in this part of the world as they fight to survive. When one is the victim of a crime, she is treated like a criminal herself. Add a woman who is poor and non-white then you have trouble. If you add prostitution on top of that – well , she ‘s got no chance.
There’s a lot of detail early on that I think the book could have done without but when you finish it and sit back, I really did appreciate the threads that had been woven together.
Hard hitting and raw.
February 3, 2023
“The mind is a skilled illusionist, drawing your eye to the attractive assistant while the magician escapes from being sawed in half inside a box.”
Simone Campos’s thrilling novel tells the story of Lucinda and her glamour model sister Viviana. She has spent her life living in her shadow however one day when Viviana disappears after a trip Lucinda becomes desperate to find out what happened to her sister. Tracing her steps she begins to investigate and uncover secrets that shed a new light on who Viviana truly is.
This was a fast paced thriller full of many twists and turns. We learn of the upbringing of these sisters and where their relationship is not perfect, after Viviana’s disappearance much about her actual life is revealed to Lucinda and this sets her on a determined path to find her. Viviana is a successful sex worker which is one of the first things discovered introducing Lucinda to people Viviana cares about and those who may harm her.
The story is told through a few voices in order to gain a wider perspective on the relationship between these sisters and the lives they have been living in Brazil. Conflicts between family and circumstances play a huge part in how these characters find themselves in the situation they are in.
Overall it was interesting story with many conflicting moments that lead to a surprising ending.
Simone Campos’s thrilling novel tells the story of Lucinda and her glamour model sister Viviana. She has spent her life living in her shadow however one day when Viviana disappears after a trip Lucinda becomes desperate to find out what happened to her sister. Tracing her steps she begins to investigate and uncover secrets that shed a new light on who Viviana truly is.
This was a fast paced thriller full of many twists and turns. We learn of the upbringing of these sisters and where their relationship is not perfect, after Viviana’s disappearance much about her actual life is revealed to Lucinda and this sets her on a determined path to find her. Viviana is a successful sex worker which is one of the first things discovered introducing Lucinda to people Viviana cares about and those who may harm her.
The story is told through a few voices in order to gain a wider perspective on the relationship between these sisters and the lives they have been living in Brazil. Conflicts between family and circumstances play a huge part in how these characters find themselves in the situation they are in.
Overall it was interesting story with many conflicting moments that lead to a surprising ending.
February 19, 2023
Recently translated into English, Nothing can Hurt You Now is a Brazilian thriller full of the much stereotyped Latin passion and fury in equal measure.
The story is focused on two sisters, Lucinda and Viviana. The sisters have distinctly different outlooks on life and have drifted apart over the years. Still, when Lucinda receives a distraught phone call from Graziana, Viviana’s girlfriend, saying she's gone missing, the sibling rivalries are pushed aside.
Met with indifference from the police, Lucinda starts to investigate and delves into some rather dark secrets of her sisters. Lucinda must look past those revelations to find her sister before it’s too late.
Nothing Can Hurt You Now is a relatively short novel but don’t be deceived by that – Campos manages to pack a powerful emotional punch and open up some frank discourse about sex work.
The prose is compelling and intriguing, and the tension of these women is palpable, running alongside a narrative on the way women are perceived and the danger strewn complexities of what beauty and femininity mean in modern society.
If you're looking for a thriller with an unusual slant, this one is worth the read 3.5⭐
The story is focused on two sisters, Lucinda and Viviana. The sisters have distinctly different outlooks on life and have drifted apart over the years. Still, when Lucinda receives a distraught phone call from Graziana, Viviana’s girlfriend, saying she's gone missing, the sibling rivalries are pushed aside.
Met with indifference from the police, Lucinda starts to investigate and delves into some rather dark secrets of her sisters. Lucinda must look past those revelations to find her sister before it’s too late.
Nothing Can Hurt You Now is a relatively short novel but don’t be deceived by that – Campos manages to pack a powerful emotional punch and open up some frank discourse about sex work.
The prose is compelling and intriguing, and the tension of these women is palpable, running alongside a narrative on the way women are perceived and the danger strewn complexities of what beauty and femininity mean in modern society.
If you're looking for a thriller with an unusual slant, this one is worth the read 3.5⭐
November 22, 2023
Lucinda has lived in her sister's shadow for most of her life. But when Viviana inexplicably goes missing, she is immediately driven to join in the search for her sister. The story is set in Brazil and offers insights into a very different milieu.
In the course of her attempt to trace Viviana, Lucinda discovers some unexpected things about her sister. Not least that she had achieved some success working as a sex provider.
There is mixed messaging on the issue of sex work in the book. But this also, of course, raised further questions about who might be behind Viviana's disappearance.
This novel was something of a mixed bag for me. The pacing in the first and second half of the story is different, and may be enjoyed more or less, depending on which part the reader finds most interesting. Overall, it is worth reading as something different, both in terms of multicultural interest and to some extent, storyline.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
In the course of her attempt to trace Viviana, Lucinda discovers some unexpected things about her sister. Not least that she had achieved some success working as a sex provider.
There is mixed messaging on the issue of sex work in the book. But this also, of course, raised further questions about who might be behind Viviana's disappearance.
This novel was something of a mixed bag for me. The pacing in the first and second half of the story is different, and may be enjoyed more or less, depending on which part the reader finds most interesting. Overall, it is worth reading as something different, both in terms of multicultural interest and to some extent, storyline.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
February 28, 2024
*Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the arc copy in exchange for an honest review.*
Check the trigger warnings before reading!
This book had the potential to be so much better than it was. I think it was a solid premise and a good idea, but maybe some of the emotion was lost in translation.
It felt almost stale. I think if my sister was missing and I was finding all these things out about her life I would feel more emotion than Lucinda did. There needed to be more descriptive emotion for me to make that emotional connection with the character.
There was a very abrupt change from Lucinda’s pov to Viviana’s pov. I wasn’t really prepared to go from one sister to the other that fast. While I did appreciate also getting Viviana’s pov, I think there should have a been a bit more buildup.
Viviana’s pov was surprisingly not the best part of the book. I still enjoyed it and am glad I got it, but I liked the investigation and discovering secrets with Lucinda more.
If this book was a little longer, with more details and descriptions, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more. It’s still a good story that I would recommend to someone who is looking for something short and tense, but it could’ve been so much more. I haven’t read many translated works, so I’m not sure if things get lost in translation, but that’s kind of how it felt here.
This is a great option if you like to be on the edge of your seat and get multiple povs into a dark story.
Check the trigger warnings before reading!
This book had the potential to be so much better than it was. I think it was a solid premise and a good idea, but maybe some of the emotion was lost in translation.
It felt almost stale. I think if my sister was missing and I was finding all these things out about her life I would feel more emotion than Lucinda did. There needed to be more descriptive emotion for me to make that emotional connection with the character.
There was a very abrupt change from Lucinda’s pov to Viviana’s pov. I wasn’t really prepared to go from one sister to the other that fast. While I did appreciate also getting Viviana’s pov, I think there should have a been a bit more buildup.
Viviana’s pov was surprisingly not the best part of the book. I still enjoyed it and am glad I got it, but I liked the investigation and discovering secrets with Lucinda more.
If this book was a little longer, with more details and descriptions, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more. It’s still a good story that I would recommend to someone who is looking for something short and tense, but it could’ve been so much more. I haven’t read many translated works, so I’m not sure if things get lost in translation, but that’s kind of how it felt here.
This is a great option if you like to be on the edge of your seat and get multiple povs into a dark story.
October 27, 2021
A primeira parte do livro (que representa mais da metade dele) vai construindo a tensão bem lentamente. O foco está mais em Lucinda, nas suas queixas contra a mãe, a irmã, as pressões sociais e principalmente os homens. Viviana é apenas a desaparecida, sobre a qual aos poucos se descobrem coisas. Principalmente, sobre a qual se fala. Mesmo quando trechos das suas memórias aparecem, é sempre sob o filtro de Viviana, que decide o que contar.
É da segunda parte em diante que Vivi, mesmo em cativeiro e vítima de violência, reclama para si a função de contar ela mesma a sua história. "Nada vai acontecer com você" é sobre esse ato de empoderamento que reside em não deixar para outros o controle da narrativa. É a partir desse momento, inclusive, que a protagonista, afirmando a sua subjetividade, consegue se inserir na coletividade, reconstruindo sua rede e enxergando o drama de outras que estão ou estiveram no seu lugar.
É da segunda parte em diante que Vivi, mesmo em cativeiro e vítima de violência, reclama para si a função de contar ela mesma a sua história. "Nada vai acontecer com você" é sobre esse ato de empoderamento que reside em não deixar para outros o controle da narrativa. É a partir desse momento, inclusive, que a protagonista, afirmando a sua subjetividade, consegue se inserir na coletividade, reconstruindo sua rede e enxergando o drama de outras que estão ou estiveram no seu lugar.
January 31, 2024
I read this story in a few hours on a Tuesday night. It was a quick read and to be honest, I am not sure that I know what the author wanted to achieve with this short novel. It was interesting enough to keep me reading, but I must have missed what the author wanted to communicate. However, it gives an oversight over the world of sex work, the disdain some have for it despite participating in it and the dangers of it.
Thank you NetGalley & Pushkin Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you NetGalley & Pushkin Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
October 3, 2024
This book was probably more of a 2.5 stars for me, i did enjoy this whilst reading but when reflecting i found my appreciation was stunted by an unfortunately anticlimactic reveal and 2D characters. As this is such a short book and attempted to do so much it was simply not fleshed out enough and the characters all merged into one amorphous blob. However, the first half was gripping and the commentary on femicide and rape culture in south america was very relevant and whilst more ground could definitely be covered, what it did do was important.
December 10, 2023
Lucinda has lived in the shadow of her model sister, but when she goes missing Lucinda finds she has been leading a life as a high end escorts. Could it be one of her clients who have taken her, or even killed her. Lucinda finds she has a partner Graziane and they both try to find Vivi and get to the truth.
Not really much angst, but the story does race along
. Thanks to my favourite publisher Pushkin for the ARC.
Not really much angst, but the story does race along
. Thanks to my favourite publisher Pushkin for the ARC.
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