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Heliopolis
Born in a So Paulo shantytown, Ludo is rescued and raised by a plutocrat and finds himself entrenched in the gated, guarded community of the super-rich. By turns darkly humorous and poignant, Scudamore's Booker Prize-nominated novel is a highly original take on the rags-to-riches story.
304 pages, Paperback
Published October 20, 2010
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833 people want to read
About the author
James Scudamore
12 books31 followersJames Scudamore is the author of the novels English Monsters, Wreaking, Heliopolis, and The Amnesia Clinic. He has received the Somerset Maugham Award and been nominated for the Costa First Novel Award, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Man Booker Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
March 1, 2012
Awesome quote from the book: "There will be a last encounter with a treasured friend. A last swallow of your favorite food. A last loss from the love of your life. Most of the time you won't know when it's the last time."
September 9, 2009
Set in modern-day Sao Paulo, Brazil, Heliopolis is the story of Ludo Dos Santos, the son of a woman who serves as a cook to a wealthy family, the Carnicellis. The Carnicellis own a farm which they use for weekend getaways and other family functions, as well as business dealings. It is there that Ludo lives. He was actually born into a 'favela' (a kind of shantytown area for squatters in the city)with no father at hand, Ludo and his mother became the pet project of Rebecca Carnicelli, who's out to save the world. On the farm, Ludo gets to see the Carnicelli's daughter Melissa, and they grow up very close. At some point, Rebecca and her husband, Ze, decide to adopt Ludo and take him into the city, where he lives in a walled compound with its own security force. As the novel opens, Ludo is now in his late 20s, works for an ad agency and is lust with his adoptive sister Melissa, who is now married. Heliopolis examines, from Ludo's point of view, the personal feelings of alienation in both the rich and poor worlds of the city, as he is a part of both, struggling with his own sense of identity. It also takes a look at inherent tensions of both groups on their own.
This is a novel rich in sights, sounds, and smells and one which is very well written. The character of Ludo is very well drawn (although I must confess that not many of the others really stand out except for the cleaning lady), the plot development is good and the story moves along well with no stalls.
The book is quite good and I can definitely recommend it. Scudamore is a writer I will definitely read more from -- his descriptive abilities and his portrayal of the contrast between rich and poor are the highlights of his writing.
August 6, 2011
Semi-exotic setting doesn't quite do enough to make this thoroughly generic work of literary fiction stand out from the crowd. Our protagonist is disaffected and self-obsessed; has lots of money, though came from poverty, and is angsty about the tension; oh, and he's engaged in a semi-incestuous affair with his adoptive sister. He generally behaves like an asshole, is consumed by self-loathing, and tries desperately to forge authentic human connections to some idealized, salt-of-the-earth, characters, but these efforts are of course foredoomed to failure. There are two or three plotlines, fairly slight, that inevitably interleave in a self-consciously-abrupt burst of violence. Oh, and there's in a mostly-disconnected focus on food -- each chapter is named after a particular dish that's eaten or referred to within.
All the elements are there, and they're worked through competently enough, but the characters are flat caricatures, their problems seem more imposed in order to elicit particular themes than organically arising from the situations and characters, and what plot there is seems to just sort of run out, with the narrator experiencing a vague sort of catharsis that works tidily enough in the abstract, but feels entirely bloodless and tacked-on in the context of the story.
The treatment of the terrifyingly-bad-idea affair is generally pretty fun, I should say, and the descriptions of food were also quite good (at least the ones I could appreciate -- perils of vegetarianism). But if you've read more than like two or three literary novels written after 1990 or so, there's not much new to be found in Heliopolis.
All the elements are there, and they're worked through competently enough, but the characters are flat caricatures, their problems seem more imposed in order to elicit particular themes than organically arising from the situations and characters, and what plot there is seems to just sort of run out, with the narrator experiencing a vague sort of catharsis that works tidily enough in the abstract, but feels entirely bloodless and tacked-on in the context of the story.
The treatment of the terrifyingly-bad-idea affair is generally pretty fun, I should say, and the descriptions of food were also quite good (at least the ones I could appreciate -- perils of vegetarianism). But if you've read more than like two or three literary novels written after 1990 or so, there's not much new to be found in Heliopolis.
January 17, 2011
I lived in Helipolis many years ago. I am curious of how it is portrayed in this story.
February 11, 2018
What's good about this book:
The vivid depiction of the chaotic, polluted, violent, dystopian, unequal megalopolis that is São Paulo. A lot of the narration is well-written, the sentences have a nice rhythm, there are some nice images, the text is best when describing nature, the weather, food - and it does the latter very well. The relationship between the protagonist Ludo and his mother felt real. It seemed that there was mutual love and respect there and that his mother felt well-drawn and believable. There are a couple of poignant twists/moments in the story BUT there is so much that is bad in this book I struggle to understand how it received such positive reviews.
What I didn't like:
I didn’t like the protagonist. At first I thought he was a kind of Bukowski anti-hero: heavy drinking, food-obssessed, amoral, sex-obsessed, lazy, self-destructive and there was potential for humour in that. But some of his actions are so despicable - his goading of a kid in the street who ends up getting shot, his whole relationship with his adoptive sister/friend/lover Melissa. He creepily insinuates himself into her apartment, leaves his scent on her marital bed, changes her husband's online diary. And then at some point in the book it's as if someone has told the author that the protagonist needs to be 'more likeable' and the protagonist/narrator suddenly takes the moral high ground, judging an Australian who appears naive about Brazil and wants to use a prostitute, his colleagues' prejudices about the favelas (in a very didactic way so that there is no doubt about what we are intended to believe as readers despite the fact that most of the favelados represented are in fact negative stereotypes). Ludo also intervenes to tell the truth about Melissa's relationship with him because it is supposedly the right thing in what generates rushed and totally implausible reactions.
Hardly any of the characters felt real. Take Melissa, the woman that Ludo and Ernesto are both infatuated with. I wanted to have a sense of what she believed in, what she cared about, what she struggled with, what she wanted out of life. But in the end I had absolutely no idea, other than the fact that she was pretty, a bit vacuous and possibly a tiny bit manipulative. The same could be said for most of the other characters - Zé, Rebecca, Oscar, Dennis, Milton - all caricatures there to advance certain themes or messages like some kind of 19th century allegorical play.
The dialogue on the whole was flat, full of novela-type cliches and at times overly formal and unrealistic.
The narrative structure didn't feel well-handled. It alternated between the present and the past, but within the past there were a number of present tense flashbacks, most of which didn't seem to add much.
An even bigger problem perhaps is this: what is this book actually about? I didn’t have a sense of the narrative drive. In the end I guess you could say that it’s about the protagonist’s search for the true identity of his father, but that wasn't clear until close to the end and when the identity of the father was revealed it was a massive anti-climax.
The vivid depiction of the chaotic, polluted, violent, dystopian, unequal megalopolis that is São Paulo. A lot of the narration is well-written, the sentences have a nice rhythm, there are some nice images, the text is best when describing nature, the weather, food - and it does the latter very well. The relationship between the protagonist Ludo and his mother felt real. It seemed that there was mutual love and respect there and that his mother felt well-drawn and believable. There are a couple of poignant twists/moments in the story BUT there is so much that is bad in this book I struggle to understand how it received such positive reviews.
What I didn't like:
I didn’t like the protagonist. At first I thought he was a kind of Bukowski anti-hero: heavy drinking, food-obssessed, amoral, sex-obsessed, lazy, self-destructive and there was potential for humour in that. But some of his actions are so despicable - his goading of a kid in the street who ends up getting shot, his whole relationship with his adoptive sister/friend/lover Melissa. He creepily insinuates himself into her apartment, leaves his scent on her marital bed, changes her husband's online diary. And then at some point in the book it's as if someone has told the author that the protagonist needs to be 'more likeable' and the protagonist/narrator suddenly takes the moral high ground, judging an Australian who appears naive about Brazil and wants to use a prostitute, his colleagues' prejudices about the favelas (in a very didactic way so that there is no doubt about what we are intended to believe as readers despite the fact that most of the favelados represented are in fact negative stereotypes). Ludo also intervenes to tell the truth about Melissa's relationship with him because it is supposedly the right thing in what generates rushed and totally implausible reactions.
Hardly any of the characters felt real. Take Melissa, the woman that Ludo and Ernesto are both infatuated with. I wanted to have a sense of what she believed in, what she cared about, what she struggled with, what she wanted out of life. But in the end I had absolutely no idea, other than the fact that she was pretty, a bit vacuous and possibly a tiny bit manipulative. The same could be said for most of the other characters - Zé, Rebecca, Oscar, Dennis, Milton - all caricatures there to advance certain themes or messages like some kind of 19th century allegorical play.
The dialogue on the whole was flat, full of novela-type cliches and at times overly formal and unrealistic.
The narrative structure didn't feel well-handled. It alternated between the present and the past, but within the past there were a number of present tense flashbacks, most of which didn't seem to add much.
An even bigger problem perhaps is this: what is this book actually about? I didn’t have a sense of the narrative drive. In the end I guess you could say that it’s about the protagonist’s search for the true identity of his father, but that wasn't clear until close to the end and when the identity of the father was revealed it was a massive anti-climax.
September 13, 2023
An entertaining contemporary rags-to-riches story set in the great city of Sao Paulo, rich in its depictions of various places, lifestyles and its people.
In theory, it sounds like it could be a dull concept; but in reality, it's a fast-paced, comic and engaging read, jumping from childhood memories in the midst of the super rich, to the office marketing affairs of adulthood and the unsettling dangers as a stranger in the slums.
However, on a personal note, I wouldn't recommend anyone reading this on an empty stomach. If some kind of extravagant and delicious food isn't mentioned ten times on one page, then it's mentioned every few pages. I'm not exaggerating. You will read about all kinds of food all throughout. Even on a full stomach I found it tough to keep myself from drooling. And it doesn't help that every chapter is the title of a tasty sounding recipe or a type of snack. I can only imagine the torture of reading this during a very long train ride with nothing to nibble on..
In theory, it sounds like it could be a dull concept; but in reality, it's a fast-paced, comic and engaging read, jumping from childhood memories in the midst of the super rich, to the office marketing affairs of adulthood and the unsettling dangers as a stranger in the slums.
However, on a personal note, I wouldn't recommend anyone reading this on an empty stomach. If some kind of extravagant and delicious food isn't mentioned ten times on one page, then it's mentioned every few pages. I'm not exaggerating. You will read about all kinds of food all throughout. Even on a full stomach I found it tough to keep myself from drooling. And it doesn't help that every chapter is the title of a tasty sounding recipe or a type of snack. I can only imagine the torture of reading this during a very long train ride with nothing to nibble on..
February 11, 2011
HOLY CRAP GOOD. It's got the airtight plot of Great Expectations, the modern edginess of House of Leaves with none of the camp. Anthony Bourdain could've done the food writing. Some of my favorite paragraphs I've ever read, I think.
July 17, 2014
Slumdog Millionnaire goes Brasilian :)
Rich people moving between helipads only and hundreds of thousands of people in slums - the set is Sao Paulo. Haunting images, touching characters, and a plot worthy of the best telenovella.
Rich people moving between helipads only and hundreds of thousands of people in slums - the set is Sao Paulo. Haunting images, touching characters, and a plot worthy of the best telenovella.
April 5, 2010
The setting for this novel is 21st century São Paulo, a dual city defined by its massive skyscrapers and squalid favelas (shanty towns), personal helicopters overhead and horribly congested roads below, wealthy white and poor (mostly) black citizens, and its tightly packed center city surrounded by heavily guarded neighborhoods with European styled mansions and heliports for the country's elite.
Ludo is a boy who was born to a single mother in a favela, where the only opportunities available to escape soul crushing poverty are in the illegal drug trade or prostitution. He and his mother are discovered by a wealthy businessman, Zé Generoso, who controls his family, employees and associates with a ready smile and an iron will, and his philanthropic but detached wife Rebecca. The couple bring Ludo and his mother to their suburban mansion, which serves as their weekend getaway. Ludo is befriended by their beautiful daughter Melissa, and is provided with every opportunity to succeed by Zé, who recognizes his drive and intelligence. He "works" for one of his father's friends in a marketing firm during the day, spending much of his time sleeping off hangovers or thinking about Melissa, who shares her bed with him when her idealistic but neglectful husband is out of town. Despite his success Ludo is restless and unsatisfied, as he repeatedly takes personal and professional risks that threaten to unravel his playboy lifestyle — or endanger his life.
Heliopolis was a far better read than I originally expected it to be. It is taut and fast paced, but also lush and well written, with excellent portrayals of the poverty of lives in the favelas and in the exclusive neighborhoods and skyscrapers, and there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader fully engaged. It deserves its place amongst this year's Booker Prize longlisted novels, and is highly recommended.
Ludo is a boy who was born to a single mother in a favela, where the only opportunities available to escape soul crushing poverty are in the illegal drug trade or prostitution. He and his mother are discovered by a wealthy businessman, Zé Generoso, who controls his family, employees and associates with a ready smile and an iron will, and his philanthropic but detached wife Rebecca. The couple bring Ludo and his mother to their suburban mansion, which serves as their weekend getaway. Ludo is befriended by their beautiful daughter Melissa, and is provided with every opportunity to succeed by Zé, who recognizes his drive and intelligence. He "works" for one of his father's friends in a marketing firm during the day, spending much of his time sleeping off hangovers or thinking about Melissa, who shares her bed with him when her idealistic but neglectful husband is out of town. Despite his success Ludo is restless and unsatisfied, as he repeatedly takes personal and professional risks that threaten to unravel his playboy lifestyle — or endanger his life.
Heliopolis was a far better read than I originally expected it to be. It is taut and fast paced, but also lush and well written, with excellent portrayals of the poverty of lives in the favelas and in the exclusive neighborhoods and skyscrapers, and there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader fully engaged. It deserves its place amongst this year's Booker Prize longlisted novels, and is highly recommended.
September 27, 2017
Very interesting book. However, when you think about it, nothing really happens! It is just a story of a person who has had a really difficult childhood, and got extremely lucky to find a place in the bright world of Brazil.
I got somewhat satisfaction at the end of the book, however, it is very weird to describe the feeling, as the book as pretty "plain". Although, after reading the book, I have got some insight into the world of Favelas, and the poor life of Brazil, that I have never imagined before. Interesting, intriguing and confusing world exists in the mind of Ludo, very interesting to view things from his perspective.
Loved to see how Ludo has been communicating with the cleaner in the business, regardless of his "status" where people in today's world will look down on people below them, which is a shame.
Very interesting affair with Mellisa, which I expected to turn out in more of a "happy" ending, considering how her husband has been treating her, and the history Ludo and Melisa had together. Looking onto Melisa's father and how busy he is, makes me think whether the excelling job status ruins people in some way, and takes their lives away, slowly.
At the end, I was extremely surprised by the turnout of Ludo's father. However, his relationship with his mother was significantly elaborated. Passionately. Lovingly. Childishly. Very interesting, to look at that type of family from a different perspective, where you know the mother cannot really speak of much.
The ending makes you think, whether, the outcomes, and the actions that happened in the book were the way they were supposed to be? Sometimes I think yes, sometimes I think no.
I would give this book about 3.5-4 stars, due to its' plainness. Nothing is really happening, apart from looking onto Ludo's life from above. There are stories about others' people's lives that send shivers down your back. Though, because this novel was written in a very "weird" manner, I will actually give it 5 stars. I liked the plot twist at the end, which I really did not expect, but a lot of things were predictable.
Very interesting, but strange.
I got somewhat satisfaction at the end of the book, however, it is very weird to describe the feeling, as the book as pretty "plain". Although, after reading the book, I have got some insight into the world of Favelas, and the poor life of Brazil, that I have never imagined before. Interesting, intriguing and confusing world exists in the mind of Ludo, very interesting to view things from his perspective.
Loved to see how Ludo has been communicating with the cleaner in the business, regardless of his "status" where people in today's world will look down on people below them, which is a shame.
Very interesting affair with Mellisa, which I expected to turn out in more of a "happy" ending, considering how her husband has been treating her, and the history Ludo and Melisa had together. Looking onto Melisa's father and how busy he is, makes me think whether the excelling job status ruins people in some way, and takes their lives away, slowly.
At the end, I was extremely surprised by the turnout of Ludo's father. However, his relationship with his mother was significantly elaborated. Passionately. Lovingly. Childishly. Very interesting, to look at that type of family from a different perspective, where you know the mother cannot really speak of much.
The ending makes you think, whether, the outcomes, and the actions that happened in the book were the way they were supposed to be? Sometimes I think yes, sometimes I think no.
I would give this book about 3.5-4 stars, due to its' plainness. Nothing is really happening, apart from looking onto Ludo's life from above. There are stories about others' people's lives that send shivers down your back. Though, because this novel was written in a very "weird" manner, I will actually give it 5 stars. I liked the plot twist at the end, which I really did not expect, but a lot of things were predictable.
Very interesting, but strange.
October 1, 2019
This was recommended by a friend ages ago. The first thing to say is that it is just so readable, in, to me least, the indefinable way some books just are. Chris Cleave is another I would describe in the same way, and as with his work, here too I found myself reading so fast that I probably wasn't allowing myself time to think about the bigger issues that he raises, such as identity and belonging, and how the rich view the poor and what they think / assume they need or aspire to.
I really enjoyed the pace of the story, the flipping backwards and forwards, and the descriptions of the vastly different lives at the top and the bottom of society. I didn't see as much comedy as other reviewers, but still thoroughly enjoyed and will look out for more by this author.
I really enjoyed the pace of the story, the flipping backwards and forwards, and the descriptions of the vastly different lives at the top and the bottom of society. I didn't see as much comedy as other reviewers, but still thoroughly enjoyed and will look out for more by this author.
May 5, 2019
I got this book in a fair and I must say: I was amazed. This book can make into various themes and situations without losing momentum (most of the times). The book has a clear message to me by the end of it, but the various plotlines are not dived into or developed enough. Social commentary isn't as present in it as I initially thought it was going to be, but it's pretty great to see a story so conscious (or at least tried to be) about my country's social and economical situation.
At the end of the day, this book is a tragicomedy full of absurdities and unsolved problems that sadly are set in stone to never be solved in the near future, just like Brazil.
At the end of the day, this book is a tragicomedy full of absurdities and unsolved problems that sadly are set in stone to never be solved in the near future, just like Brazil.
June 19, 2021
Heliopolis is warm, tropical, spicy, honest, brutal and heart-breaking. A simple story of one man's heritage and identity as the biological son of a poor favelada who sustains a family with her wonderful cooking but is adopted by an elite family who dress up their exploitation with fine manners and warm gestures. Nothing in his world is what it seems. Corporate lies, sexual infidelity and hypocrisy abound and it's only in the truth and confronting the kill-or-be-killed existence in the favelas that can bring his life a measure of peace at last.
July 26, 2022
I must say I quite enjoyed this book! I couldn't stop reading by the last one hundred pages as the main character's doomed endeavors finally began to implode. The main character is not very sympathetic and I don't think that this book provided any expert class commentary, but as a reader I was highly engaged and enjoyed the setting. I think that if you just take this book as face value- especially when looking for fiction set in Latin America or Brazil, as I was- it's definitely worth the read. However, if you were looking for a literary masterpiece, you should probably look elsewhere!
November 19, 2019
Ludo believes that his adopted parents gave him a chance in life after he was plucked as a baby from the favela of Heliopolis. He lived a life of luxury and was given major opportunities. Life takes its course the story has some twists and turns. For me, the end took me totally by surprise! It is well written. The setting is Sao Paulo and one gets to understand a bit about Brazil. A lovely read.
March 23, 2024
This is an intense situation novel, an acutely class-conscious romp through the the very wealthy and the very poor classes of Sao Paulo. Aside from it being a bit of a thriller tinged with of gallows humor, it feels so authentic that I suspect it is somewhat autobiographical, but that could also explain why he never can climb out of the situation that he finds himself in. I feel it may have been a cathartic exercise, a gestalt that he put himself through to come to a reckoning. I hope he did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2019
While his lyrical descriptions of São Paulo sparkle, Scudamore otherwise traffics in the usual tired Brazilian stereotypes. This is unwittingly funny, because he is so obviously trying to dispel them.
March 9, 2020
Not all that sure why I picked it up. I just fancied something set in South America for a change. It’s good fun though. Reminded me of something like Kill Your Friends, but relocated to contemporary Sao Paulo.
April 16, 2020
This is the book that got me back into reading. I was sitting in a prison cell, saw it on a shelf and couldn't put it down. After filming wrapped I put it back, bought it at a bookstore and finished it.
October 7, 2021
I liked the descriptive writing and the end was good. I think you have to read this and think about the journey the main character is taking. How he is stuck and doesn't even see it but the end brings him out of it and really works
September 21, 2024
Interesting how so much of this book revolves around food, the iconic first club sandwich at the Windsor Hotel, the incredible Japonese lunch with Ernesto, his mother’s cooking, and the grilled bird at the end. In a life as complicated as Ludo’s, is food the only comfort?
December 2, 2025
I really like the world this is set in and the characters. It was interesting and the food writing was spectacular.
My issue is with the plot which was never as interesting as the descriptions of the world. And the end also felt rushed. I wish I could read more in this world.
My issue is with the plot which was never as interesting as the descriptions of the world. And the end also felt rushed. I wish I could read more in this world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2017
not exactly a classic but a great way to learn about the favelas and the neoliberal ploys by brazilian capitalists. Very engaging
October 24, 2017
No time to actually say what I think except this was truly one of the most goddamn heartbreakingly good books I've ever read.
August 8, 2020
Interesting view of inequality in Sao Paolo. But more about the manipulations of families and relationships as a result. A good read.
September 21, 2020
An identity story
Set against the backdrop of extreme income inequality, commenting on the humanity of the marginalized,
And the cavalier mindset of the very rich and powerful
Set against the backdrop of extreme income inequality, commenting on the humanity of the marginalized,
And the cavalier mindset of the very rich and powerful
January 31, 2021
The best way I can describe it: This would make a great, semi-forgettable, kinda problematic bingewatch on Netflix.
February 11, 2021
The plot is fine, but the writing is somewhat amateurish, often laughable, and sometimes awkwardly crude.
June 11, 2024
Thought provoking story of life in a divided rich/poor Brazilian society. Well written but the plot just wasn't strong enough for me.
November 2, 2025
started off well but unsatisfactory ending
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews