This was a tough hang for me. Undoubtedly this novel has merit, but I find it tough to tolerate such a relentlessly young male perspective for so many pages. Nothing is more boring to me on the page than drugs!

A story as loud and resonant as its prose, as terrible as its grim political roots, and as clear-sighted as the view from its birthplace on a Rio hillside.

People in Brazil contend with a political and social system that is far more brutal on a day-to-day basis than any non-Red State one in the US. Their policing exceeds even ours in militarized ruthlessness. This story highlights the consequences of that abusive system.

Quite a lot of this story, in its relentlessly young-male focus, deals with casual sex and drug use and the anomie of being made to feel useless and worthless. Why should I care about anything you do if no one else cares about me? The inevitable solipsism of the young is foregrounded, and shown in the light of a normal response to a deeply dysfunctional system. It is a story told in conversational tones, in direct and engaging images that we can immediately relate to.

What that offers in immediacy it reduces in specificity. I'm never quite sure who's "speaking" to me. A lot of that is down to my old-man impatience with Youth, I'm quite sure:
"You ever worked a party for someone famous?" Talia asked once they'd finished discussing their favorite bailes and pagodes.

"Oh yeah, loads. Tons of actors and soccer players throw parties here...One time I worked this gig for Luciano Huck and Angélica's kids. It was wild. There were so many celebrities, the place looked like the season finale of a telenovela or something. The managers were all twitchy cause everything had to be perfect and shit, but it was pretty low-key in the end."

Keeping in mind the main PoV characters are brothers working together, and you might see the issue. I'm pretty impressed with the seamlessness of the translation as it moves between points of English not having a word, and using an English word in place of the Brazilian one. In that example, "soccer player" subs in for "futebolista," "bailes and pagodes" doesn't need an explicit translation because they're cultural touchstones we know we don't share, yet "telenovela" is now well-enough known in US English that it needs no translation but still carries an explicit idea.

So it's a deft presentation of a Brazilian-language story. It might not be a perfect read for me, in the sense that it is not aimed at me. I'm here to tell you, though, that anyone who'd like to comprehend how young men could choose to support an appalling, cruel, and evil system in US politics should read this story. It shows us how it feels to be the young men in question. It points out our blindness to the consequences of privilege unexamined and ill-considered. Every time I can tempt someone into this kind of reading, it increases the chances of all of us finding empathy for and commonality with those being Othered.

I call that a big win all the way around.

Via Ápia follows five young men before, during, and after the police occupation of the Rocinha favela. The occupation is intended to make Rio de Janeiro safer for tourists for the upcoming World Cup and Olympics. Each chapter feels like a diary entry where we see the struggles and joys of life on the hill. Each character's voice felt distinct with their own dreams and goals all while building the tension of the increased difficulty of life under occupation.

My one criticism is with the dialogue translation in the first ~20% of the novel. There were a handful of times when characters used phrases that felt too American and too recent. This stood out even more when one character returns to Rocinha after a year away and notes how much the local language plays into his identity as someone from the hill. The dialogue did feel more natural later in the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and FSG Originals for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Via Apia by Geovani Martins
Translated by Julia Sanches
Publication Date July 1, 2025


A compelling and immersive portrait of life in Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro. Martins masterfully interweaves the lives of five young men whose hopes, frustrations and friendships unfold against the backdrop of a community often misunderstood and maligned by outsiders. Here, Rocinha is more than a setting, it is a vibrant and living character.

Frequently disdained and pitied from the outside, Rocinha comes alive in the details: its music, culture, resilience and contradictions. Martins captures the profound pride residents feel for their community, while illuminating the daily challenges they face - the poverty, communal power and water outages, unfair rents, and scarce job opportunities. Yet amid the hardship, joy, humor, hope, and solidarity thrive. This is a story not just of struggle, but of belonging, brotherhood and the irrepressible spirit of community. It is a unique community with fun filled bailes, local hangouts and a plethora of drugs; where peace is granted by drug lords and taken away by the politicians, police and militia. Where the needs of the people take second place to how Rio appears to the outside world during the Olympics and World Cup.

A powerful story exploring the deep emotional terrain of young men trying to create an adult identity in a system designed to keep them in place. When choice, control and opportunities are out of reach, it is friendship and family that provide a lifeline and sustain dreams.

The depiction of the militia takeover of the favela is terrifyingly vivid, the chaos, fear, intrusion and powerlessness. Martins documents the devastating impact with precision: the intense fear, the oppression, the shuttering of small businesses, restricted movement, rising rents and costs, and the loss of public spaces that once buzzed with music and life.

The novel doesn’t offer easy answers, but it does offer empathy and truth. The MC’s reflect a generation trapped in a class system with no exits. Their intimacy, humour and loyalty feel deeply real, rendered with care, depth and unflinching honesty. You will become wholly invested in their lives.

This is a powerful, emotionally rich novel that immerses you in the complexity and humanity of Rocinha. It is a celebration of family, friendship, manhood, and survival. It is the adult literary equivalent of The Outsiders, tender, raw and unforgettable.

This one was unfortunately not for me. I couldn't connect with the story. It could've been a case of wrong book at the wrong time.

This was really good. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting because I read it "Via Appia" like the road in Rome but I still really liked this. It was funny and sometimes brutal and kept me turning each page wanting to know what happened next. A great debut novel.

Via Ápia initiated me to the life in the Brazilian favelas and what it means to live there for the residents. We follow five friends struggling to make a living and surviving, yet also experiencing the strenght of their friendship, the principal theme of this book. It's also full of love for their home and the small moments of hapiness life can bring. We also get to understand what the UPP invasion means for the characters. It's touching and I enjoy learning from this part of the world through this fictional work. It's written in a style that is easy to read. Thank you Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Obrigado Netgalley por me dar a oportunidade de ler este livro!
Via Ápia foi uma leitura muito difícil, a crueldade, a violencia policial, as drogas, a vida tão difícil das pessoas e ao mesmo tempo a humanidade de tudo isto cai profundo na nossa mente. Foi duro mas gostei muito, acho muito importante que todos leiam e saibam a realidade da vida fora da sua própria bolha.
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