This was an interesting novel set partly in a country I am unfamiliar with (don't think Gerald Durrell's animal collecting memoirs count!) and which seemed to be exotic but also sometimes repressed.  At the heart of the book is a coming of age story but this is inter-twined with family secrets, cross-cultural issues and the class divide.  Very readable but I guessed the main secret well before it was disclosed in the narrative.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
 This is the amazing story of Andre, a successful doctor in London, who receives a letter which jolts him back to his past and his Brazilian roots. We learn of the shocking events in Andre's past via a series of flashbacks. 
 The young Andre lived a privileged life in Brazil but he harboured a desire for the family maid, Luana. As we are taken through the ups and downs of Andre's life we learn of secrets and lies that followed him into adulthood.
 Back in the present day one of Andre's secrets has come back to haunt him and he has to revisit his roots to address the issues.   
 This book was suggested to me as being a similar style to Dina Jefferies novels and I think that it is. Not only for the obvious comparison of the exotic setting but also because of the strong characters and well developed story line.
 I enjoyed it very much and I read it over three evenings. Without wanting to give out any spoilers I will simply say that an event toward the end of the novel shocked me to the core! I loved it.

Flesh and bone and water by Luiza Sauma. 
Brazilian-born doctor André Cabral is living in London when one day he receives a letter from his home country, which he left nearly thirty years ago. A letter he keeps in his pocket for weeks, but tells no one about.
The letter prompts André to remember the days of his youth - torrid afternoons on Ipanema beach with his listless teenage friends, parties in elegant Rio apartments, his after-school job at his father's plastic surgery practice - and, above all, his secret infatuation with the daughter of his family's maid, the intoxicating Luana. Unable to resist the pull of the letter, André embarks on a journey back to Brazil to rediscover his past.
A good read with good characters. I liked the story. Little slow in places.  4*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.

An intriguing, moving story but I felt it was very sad at times. Good first novel.

A beautiful book about memories, love and deceit and desires. I was moved to tears and anger but left with a feeling of peace and contentment. Please read it.