Brazilian book that's already come out

Finished reading John Malathronas's Brazil: Life, Blood and Soul last night. Having been published nearly a year ago, I had to wait until Christmas to get it - and only now have I finally got through it!

It was a little shaky to start with - a couple of inaccuracies in the first 100 pages and I was slightly concerned he would slip into cliche about Brazilian culture and society. But I persisted and am pleased I did. From Rio to the Amazon, to the North East and the South, before ending up interviewing cult members just outside of Brasilia, Malathronas eventually does justice to the complexity of life in Brazil. Throughout there are observations on its politics, history and the nature of inequality which makes Brazil the country it is today.

At times the book began to grate. Malathronas has clearly done his research and wants to share it. Personally, I really appreciate the detail he goes into, although as a general reader I would probably be frustrated by the lengths he goes to, especially if I want a light read. And light - both in terms of content and size (over 430 pages) - this book ain't!

Occasionally the subject matter is confusing: in some of the chapters he brings together two different experiences and places them alongside, splitting them throughout. Initially this can be quite jarring, as you may be following the threat of one tale, only for another to be presented. Similarly, the realisation halfway through that the book is not the result of one journey to Brazil, but the sum of several, does shake you. I spent much of the rest of the book trying to work out whether he was offering an experience from his first, second or third visit to the country.

I would have liked to have read more about his personal experiences, both in his exploration of Brazilian nightlife and the gay scene. The book starts off in this manner through Rio and the North East, including an honest account of his relationships along the way. Initially I was perturbed by this approach, fearing that I would be subjected to more than 400 pages of light dalliances with Brazilian stereotypes. I'm glad to say I was wrong on this score and am pleased he managed to mix it up (although I'm aware that some readers who warmed to the book's beginnings might find some of the description of baroque art of less interest - and maybe even heavy going).

Malathronas even manages to bring some of his own observations about what it is like to be gay and the challenge of coming out - which in parts of Brazil is still difficult. He notes the highly liberal and include nature of Brazilian law, but quite rightly points out that the reality doesn't always match the theory. So with being gay in Brazil. Compared to most other South American countries, Brazil is remarkably liberal when it comes to homosexuality; but in parts of the country, particularly the conservative areas, it can almost be a death sentence. Indeed, Malathronas recounts the tragic tale of a Northeastern councillor who was abused and murdered on account of being gay.

Anti-discriminatory legislation abounds, but rarely is it enforced. Brazil remains one of the most economically unequal societies in the world, with vigilante groups composed of off-duty policemen murdering street children in a bid to 'clean' the streets. Malathronas recounts seeing a screaming adolescent hauled away by policemen to a soundproofed booth in the Praca de Sa in Sao Paulo, where information would no doubt be extracted from him. And in Belo Horizonte, he comes face to face with a tramp living in the rubbish - a ghost that reflects the underclass of Brazilian society.

Ultimately, Malathronas's book is a foreign observer's take on Brazil - albeit a well-researched one at that. He hits many of the right buttons with his observations on the nature of the country and its people. But I was waiting, and willing him on, to offer the reader an explanation of the jeito - a particularly Brazilian social trait which enables people to bypass certain legislative, bureaucratic and social constraints.

There is no simple English translation for the jeito, partly because it is almost indefinable, although recognisable. It can be understood as bending the rules, cutting red tape - finding a way around an obstacle. For many outside observers, making sense of the jeito and how it is used, is difficult; even people like me, born in Brazil, but brought up outside, can find it hard to understand.

Perhaps it's unfair to expect Malathronas to offer a comprehensive analysis of the jeito in what is after all a travel book. But to really understand Brazil, the sense of its people's inequality, the disappointment and dashed hopes throughout history tell only one side; knowing how that society - on both sides of the economic and social divide - deal with these challenges through social constraints such as the jeito, offers another level of understanding.