Juvenile lust, desire and greed are laid bare in this quietly powerful Booker International longlisted novella.

Bored teenage gardener Polo works in the ‘Paradais’ complex and in his downtime hangs out with Franco Andrade, a porn-obsessed loner who fantasises about his glamorous neighbour. When a plot is hatched to fulfill his dream, Franco enlists the drifting Polo to be his wingman…with deadly results.

Told in short and arresting prose, this stark novel serves as more than just a shocking cautionary tale. Within it’s microcosm of the ‘Paradais’, it serves as a window on modern Mexico and the poverty, class and culture complexities that lie just under the surface. In Polo we may not have a likeable or even sympathetic character, but as the conclusion plays out you find yourself holding your breath nonetheless.

A short, sharp, grimy firecracker of a book – murky, but entirely memorable.