The Head of the Saint , by Socorro Acioli
I read one book per country got approved for the 2026 FIFA Globe Mug: 48 nations = 48 publications = 48 weeks. To understand why-when-how-etc, go here
Being Brazilian, selecting our representative is usually the hardest moment of my “competition”. After much study, Socorro Acioli’s unique won my type of credentials phase against several others to end up being the one , the only Brazilian book I ‘d review in virtually two years. And I liked it.
It’s hard to blend our Northeastern culture with our folk-Catholic method of seeing the spiritual world, and produce a magical-realism-like story that somehow really feels actual. Yet she did it. You can easily read it both actually and figuratively. Because of course, the head of the saint is essentially a large saint’s head, where Samuel takes shelter. However it’s simple to start discovering as many allegories as you like when reflecting on this brief book. It’s unusual, it’s human, it’s Brazil.
- Can this book win our 2026 WCoB?
A solid challenger: expectations went beyond. Let’s see just how the others execute. - My Goodreads rating:
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - Literary matching of a nationwide group:
Colombia 2014 Fanciful, energetic, shocking the globe with its creativity. - Read it if …
… you enjoy tales that seem like a dental tale told by your favored auntie. - Stay clear of if …
… you wish to check out either realism or a continuous stream of plot twists.
And that’s it.
Following week: Ecuador.