The Club of Angels

The first of Brazilian author Verissimo's novels to be translated into English, The Club of Angels is a fascinating, carefully detailed, and darkly humorous study of ten deaths, the deaths of ten gourmands following their favorite meals. The men have been friends for more than twenty years, meeting once a month for sumptuous feasts together. They represent all levels of society and have achieved differing degrees of professional success, enjoying and respecting each other because of their shared love of food and their long friendship. When Ramos, their leader, dies of AIDS, a mysterious successor, Lucidio (whose name suggests "God's light") suddenly appears and begins to plan and prepare their feasts. One by one, month after month, the club members die, but no one suggests canceling the meals, each of which features the favorite main course of one of the members. In fact, Verissimo suggests that the victim's pleasure is dramatically increased when he knows that his death is the end result of the meal. Each victim, in fact, always asks for the one extra portion of the meal, even after it becomes obvious to the club members that the person taking the extra portion will die. Verissimo explores the phenomenon of death philosophically--"We grow up with our murderer," he says, and "We never [know] when he [will] kill us." But, he believes, "knowing the hour and manner of our death [is] like being presented with a plot, with a denouement, with all the advantages that detective fiction has over life." Knowing when and how one will die is the ultimate privilege. An ironically named "Mr. Spector" features prominently in the ending, by which time only Daniel, the narrator/chronicler of the events, and Lucidio remain alive. Playing with the reader's perceptions from the outset, Verissimo writes with tongue firmly in cheek, the ironies piling up as the deaths continue. His observations about life and death, about men and their friendships, and about our responsibilities, if any, to each other add depth to this unusual novel. The ending, which extends the concept of "orgiastic release" to its logical conclusion, will satisfy even the most jaded reader. Strange, thoughtful, and very clever, this novel is a fine introduction to a writer whose next novel, Borges and the Eternal Orangutans, contains broader humor within a more complex, imaginative structure. n Mary Whipple

starting with a macabre and devious story of a very secret club of epicures who cook & eat the deadly fugu fish in japan, verissimo's club of angels leads readers onto wicked & twisted terrains of gluttony & its implications. the book tells the tale of a group of friends who started out full of ambition in their youth and traces their path into the failure of the present.verissimo's deft touch and light hand ensures a delecable read. although the plot cals for a heavy suspension of disbelief, thereward is well worth it.a slight comic masterpiece.

A nice translation of a Brazilian author's work. A clever story of a group of men who gather monthly to dine with one another. The introduction of a marvelous chef restores the appetites of the men for one another's company and a zest for life--or is it death? A fascinating examination of what motivates people knowing that fate is staring at them in a plate of a favorite food. While the ending is a little too pat, the book raises interesting questions and is a gem worthy of the short amount of time it takes to read.