Perfect Days

Written by Raphael Montes

Narrated by Tom Picasso

A twisted young medical student kidnaps the girl of his dreams and embarks on a dark and delirious road trip across Brazil in the English-language debut of Brazil's most celebrated young crime writer. Teo Avelar is a loner. He lives with his paraplegic mother and her dog in Rio de Janeiro, he doesn't have many friends, and the only time he feels honest human emotion is in the presence of his medical school cadaver-that is, until he meets Clarice. She's almost his exact opposite: exotic, spontaneous, unafraid to speak her mind. An aspiring screenwriter, she's working on a screenplay called Perfect Days about three friends who go on a road trip across Brazil in search of romance. Teo is obsessed. He begins to stalk her, first following her to her university, then to her home, and when she ultimately rejects him, he kidnaps her and they embark upon their very own twisted odyssey across Brazil, tracing the same route outlined in her screenplay. Through it all, Teo is certain that time is all he needs to prove to Clarice that they are made for each other, that time is all he needs to make her fall in love with him. But as the journey progresses, he digs himself deeper and deeper into a pit that he can't get out of, stopping at nothing to ensure that no one gets in the way of their life together. Both tense and lurid, and brimming with suspense from the very first page, Perfect Days is a psychological thriller in the vein of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley-a chilling journey in the passenger seat with a psychopath, and the English language debut of one of Brazil's most deliciously dark young writers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Translator: Alison Etrekin
• Release date: Jun 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781501997228

Reviews for Perfect Days

[Sarah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Buckle up. We are taking a road trip through hell. A mix of YOU, Misery, & Bates Motel. This was a great story, but the ending I felt was a little rushed, maybe. It was a great read, lots of emotion from an emotionless character.

[Steve Paul · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good read with a couple of decent twists and a weirdly satisfying ending....but it's difficult not to notice the strong similarities to Stephen King's "Misery" (like, really strong).

[Madison Monaco · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely crazy. The perspective in which the book was written is so unique and rare. Each part of the story had me in utter disbelief at the raw insanity. You truly never know what's going to happen next, even when you think you do. If you have any sociopathic tendencies, please don't read this. We don't need you getting any ideas.

[bookishtexpat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So creepy and disturbing and utterly fantastic. I devoured this book and loved the psychological perspective of Teo. I wish Clarice had been a little more appealing - I didn't really like her at all - but the story and writing was brilliant.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow, if the rest of the books that Mr. Montes writes turn out like this, than, I can't wait. I grabbed this book and started reading it. Warning: This book is addicting. I finished it in a matter of a few hours. Although, sleep was delayed as I started this book before going to bed. I could not stop reading. The quiet ones do you have to watch out for. This is not one of those psychological thrillers were it creeps up on you and messes with your mind. No, it is one of those books where you are instantly hooked by what you are reading. It might even seem a little unbelievable but you can't stop reading as you are intrigued and want to see how it all plays out. Are there really Perfect Days? Oh and did I mention that this book had a feel of Misery.

[schatzi_5 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Teo is a medical student who is, quite frankly, a sociopath. He doesn't feel love or affection for his mother (whom he just sees as a burden) or their dog , so much to the point that he actually kills the dog because he is being inconvenient and feels no remorse about this at any time - is it bad that I felt the worst about the dog and not the people Teo abuses?. The only person he does feel something for is Clarice, a woman he meets by chance at a barbecue. But Clarice isn't interested in Teo - she's dating a violinist named Breno, and she apparently is also seeing a woman named Laura - and she isn't enthralled with his stalkery ways. So Teo, in an attempt to show Clarice just how "right" they are for one another, abducts her.I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I never really felt much of anything for Teo as a character; his voice is very flat and dull, which I suppose makes sense since he doesn't really feel a ton of emotion, but it didn't make relating to the character all that easy. And it's difficult to identify with Clarice at all since the entire book is told through Teo's muted perspective. I hate the ending. Hate, hate, HATE. Everything is so conveniently wrapped up with Clarice's amnesia after the accident. Teo completely gets away with everything he did, including killing Breno and permanently paralyzing Clarice, and not only that, but he does successfully make her fall in love with him. They get married and have a child and everything. :O That's fucked up, but it just felt too neat and clean, especially since Teo left a lot of messy loose ends throughout the book. Oh well, I guess. It just didn't do much for me.In fact, after writing this review, I'm dropping my review from three stars to two and a half stars. It was an okay book, but nothing that I would recommend or that stands out to me. I probably won't remember much of it soon. Props for it being set in Brasil, but that is all I really have to say about it.

[kimkimpton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this novel. I liked being inside Teo's head, and I found it interesting that the "bad guy" (or is it love) wins in the end. I only gae it four stars because everything was spelled out; there was little left to the reader's imagination- perhaps that was an issue in translation.

[mhanover10 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

We are first introduced to Teo who is a medical student in anatomy class where he thinks his stiff Gertrude is his friend. There is something off about Teo. He then meets Clarice at a BBQ party that he originally didn't want to attend. He is immediately attracted to her and thinks she likes him so he starts following her. Things escalate fast and Teo has kidnapped Clarice, drugged her and thrown her in a suitcase. This story is like Criminal Minds without Hochner and his team. There is something really wrong with Teo. He his handcuffing, drugging and putting a gag on her. He's totally controlling her life and thinks they are together and she is falling in love with him. There are some extreme things he does that are shocking. I will say I did NOT like the way things turned out in the end. I was hoping for a different outcome.

Not bad. I like finding new writers especially from other countries. I received this book as part of one of my groups to read with the publisher.

[muddyboy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A psychological misfit of a medical student becomes captivated by a young lady and decides that the best way to her heart is to kidnap her and while under his control convince her that he is the man of her dreams. He keeps her as a prisoner many times sedating her and keeping her in handcuffs. The book has many unique twists and turns until its very surprising ending. I would love to see this novel made into a movie. I was fully vested in the plot primarily told from the perspective of the anti heroes perspective. I highly recommend this book which is worthy of the five stars I gave it.

[serenity_tigerlily · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the book, BUT I expected it to be a lot more disturbing and creepy that it actually was. It had the potential to be completely demented, but it fell short for me in that area. I did like the overall story and it was well written so I can't complain too much.