| Heliopolis | |
| Author: | James Scudamore |
| Country: | England |
| Release Date: | February 2009 |
| Media Type: | |
| Pages: | 278 pp |
| Isbn: | 978-1-84655-188-8 |
Heliopolis is a 2009 novel by the British author James Scudamore. It is set in the city and surrounding areas of contemporary São Paulo, Brazil, and follows the story of a young, favela-born man, Ludo dos Santos. The book was nominated for the 2009 Man Booker Prize and is Scudamore's second novel.[1]
Critic Henry Shukman of The Guardian notes, "The novel is cleverly pitched to explore the two socioeconomic poles of modern urban Brazil. And the writing is exemplary: you feel the hand of a natural at work, one whose command of tone is strong, and who has an instinctive feel for handling a story."[2] Writing in The Telegraph of London, reviewer Sinclair McKay calls the novel "a dark, gripping, often comic novel concerning appetite, urban poverty and identity."[3]
Heliopolis was listed as one of the final dozen nominees for the 2009 Man Booker Prize.[1] Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall ultimately won.[4]