#RivetingReviews: Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews ELIETE: A NORMAL LIFE by Dulce Maria Cardoso

Eliete is 40 and is an estate agent married to Jorge for 20 years. They have two daughters. It’s a normal life. But what constitutes “normal”? Is it supposed to include an unhappy marriage, strained maternal relationships and pervasive feelings of disillusionment? 

The rhythm of her ordinary existence is broken when her grandmother, donning her nightgown and Sunday shoes, collapses in a local souvenir shop and is subsequently diagnosed with dementia. Eliete’s mother is indifferent to her mother-in-law’s vulnerable condition. Their relationship has always been fraught. Eliete assumes the responsibility of caring for her grandmother, moving her into their home, but her mother sees this as an act of blatant hostility. 

Complex intergenerational relationships between four generations of women form the backbone of the narrative. Eliete’s mother, a master of self-pity, plays the role of the wretched woman with the ungrateful daughter to perfection. She is perpetually discontent and critical of her daughter: I had never experienced a failure when I didn’t feel Mother’s index finger poking the centre of my forehead …

Despite her grandmother’s cognitive decline, glimpses of her past resurface, shedding light on Eliete’s family history. Without memories we are lost, unpredictable, and adrift. Even if memories persist, in an age of Google, with its unlimited knowledge and access to the experiences of millions, interest in the life experiences and wisdom of a single individual may diminish. She is reminded of elderly neighbours who died or were forced into care homes by their children. The word “home” conjures up images of family and belonging. Yet, for the elderly, it signifies institutions where they are … made to sit in lounges with posters of cars they can no longer drive and journeys they can no longer make … These descriptions evoke a sense of profound and inescapable melancholy and sadness. 

Eliete feels increasingly isolated from her family. Her husband’s attention is focused on Pokémon and Facebook flirting, so he barely acknowledges her presence. Her grandmother is unrecognisable and Eliete’s daughters treat her with disdain, excluding her from their lives. It is hardly surprising that she wants to re-invent herself by creating online fake dating profiles. Eliete becomes Monica, an adventurous and confident woman, who immerses herself in a series of sexual encounters with different men in the suburbs of Lisbon.   

Eliete watches her daughter photograph her breakfast for Instagram and questions the value of a life lived predominantly in a digital world. Almost everything existed with no physical presence, like a thought that passed through someone’s mind only to vanish swiftly. How can we create enduring memories if experiences are often fleeting and intangible? 

Cardoso probes the motivation behind Eliete’s sexual encounters, the challenges of ageing, the fragile relationship between mothers and daughters, and the impact of social media with a humorous and light touch. Eliete dryly recounts her visit to a prospective care home for her grandmother: When the grandfather clock in the hall struck five o’clock, and I regained some self-control, I found that my lips were stuck to the lips of Duarte, son of the care home’s owners.

Cardoso’s prose is rich and playful, often employing long, flowing sentences but without sacrificing clarity. Above all, Eliete: A Normal Life addresses universal human experiences in a way we can all relate to.

Reviewed by Sonja van der Westhuizen

ELIETE: A NORMAL LIFE

Written by Dulce Maria Cardoso

Translated from the Portuguese by Ángel Gurría-Quintana

Published by Maclehose Press (2024)

December 2024 #RivetingReviews titles are available to buy from bookshop.org.

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Sonja van der Westhuizen is a book critic, proofreader and graphic designer for publishers and independent authors. She writes reviews and features for the Crime Fiction Lover website as well as several South African newspapers and magazines, and she has served on the Ngaio Marsh Awards judging panel since 2021. She enjoys a wide range of translated fiction, including crime, literary, and occasionally horror. Her websites are: https://sonjavanderwesthuizen.wordpress.com/ and https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/.

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