It’s the start of a new month so time to delve into my TBR Book Jar once more.

As always I’ve used a random number generator to pick three titles from my TBR spreadsheet. From those I’ll pick one to read in the next two months.

This month’s selection have a very pleasing international flavour.

Antonio by Beatriz Bracher

My first pick is a novel by award-winning Brazilian author, Beatriz Bracher. Her central character discovers a tragic family secret involving patrimony and sets out to discover the truth by talking to the confidantes of the relatives directly involved. Through these shards of memory, Bracher offers a perspective on class and politics in her country.

I’m thinking…. could be a good choice since August is apparently Women in Translation month.

A Dry White Season by André Brink

My next destination is South Africa with a novella that’s described on Goodreads as “an unflinching and unforgettable look at racial intolerance, the human condition, and the heavy price of morality.” It’s set in suburban Johannesburg during the apartheid years. The sudden arrest and subsequent “suicide” of a black school janitor haunts one of the white schoolteachers. His attempts to investigate the man’s truth has devastating consequences for him and his family, as it draws him into a lethal morass of lies, corruption, and murder.

I’m thinking…. yes, yes and yes. Brink was an important voice in African literature but I’ve never read any of his work. This book would fit nicely with my Adventures in African Literature project.

The Dead Eight by Carlo Gebler

And finally, we travel to Ireland for a novel based on a real story about injustice in the Irish legal system.

In 1940, a woman’s body was found in a field in County Tipperary. This novel by Irish author Carlo Gébler follows her life to this tragic end and explores how the local police fabricated a case against the man who discovered the body. Harry Gleeson was convicted, and condemned to death.In January 2015, he was cleared of murder and is now the first recipient of posthumous pardon in Ireland.

I’m thinking…. maybe. How much of this is fiction and how much fact?

Decision Time

I’m torn between Beatriz Bracher and André Brink. Both offer a perspective on life in their respective countries that appeals to me.

I think what I’ll do is read the Bracher in August just because it chimes with Women in Translation month. Then I’ll turn to Brink in autumn or winter.

Let me know if you agree/disagree with my choice. If you’ve read any of these books do let me know what you thought.