Book Review of Pedro and Marques Take Stock by Jose Falero trans Julia Sanchez

Name of Book: Pedro and Marques Take Stock (Supridores) 

Author: Jose Falero (Trans Julia Sanches) 

ISBN: 978-1-6626-0123-1

Publisher: Astra House 

Type of book: Brazil, selling weed, 2009-2011, intelligence, poverty, supermarket work, morality, grayness, casual drug use, guns, allies 

Year it was published: 2023 (Original 2020) 

Summary:

City of God meets Kevin Smith’s Clerks, Os Supridores is a debut novel set in the favelas of Brazil about two supermarket stock clerks whose lives are upturned when their small-time marijuana business takes off.

A modern-day Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, Pedro and Marques stumble through their days in their rough and rundown favela unloading trucks, restocking shelves, and dreaming of a better life; of breaking the cycle of poverty that has afflicted their families and their community. Well-acquainted with the drug dealers in their neighborhood, and seeing an opportunity to earn a little extra cash, they decide to join the drug trade. Surprisingly, the two men quickly build a thriving enterprise—but trouble ensues.

A witty, voice-driven, and electrifying portrait of poverty; a canny examination of the ethics of drug dealing and low-wage labor in the underbelly of Brazil; and a vivid satire on social mobility, Os Supridores is a contemporary picaresque novel of class and crime.

Characters:

Two main characters are Pedro and Marques. Pedro is an intellectual trapped in poverty who has a lot of wits and common sense and who loves to read. He lives with his mother and his cousin's family. He is the de facto leader and is calm and doesn't panic. Marques isn't as intelligent as Pedro but he is highly temperamental and a loyal follower of Pedro. He is married and has two young kids and when Pedro's intellect fails him, Marques often manipulates emotionally. Other characters would be Marques' wife as well as Luan who is the coworker in supermarket and who prefers to live for today rather than worry about tomorrow.  

Theme:

What is the right thing to do?

Plot:

This was written in third person/ omniscient point of view namely from Pedro and Marques' points of view, although from time to time other characters such as Luan/Chokito or even Sr. Geraldo once in a while also contributed to the tale. The first chapter begins with Sr. Geraldo wanting to meet the boss to complain about the missing items going from the store, which at first caused me to suspect that he might be setting them up, but then starting with second chapter, the readers meet Pedro and Marques as well as their numerous schemes to get wealthy. If one asks me what shines about the story, I would definitely have to say that I took a very strong liking to the character of Pedro, although many readers will definitely enjoy Marques and his family as well as the coworkers and other personages spread throughout the story. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

N/A

Opinion:

This was both an insightful and entertaining read that questions the role of morality within the society of walls, in particular that of Brazil, although I imagine that the situation could honestly apply to anywhere. If a person is poor and has little to no prospects for the future, is it ok to do bad things to get out of poverty in the first place? I understand that it may sound like a beginning to a mafia or criminal tale, which it kind of is in a way, but the story does go deeper than superficial as the author takes the readers step by step into the power of wealth and its costs, even if its done for something as simple as selling weed. I really enjoyed learning the lessons from PEDRO AND MARQUES TAKE STOCK and I will look forward to reading more of the author's awesome writings. 

This was given for review

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)