'Everyone froze - a sudden, electric, brutal, paralysing tension pierced their souls - while one of the doctors unwrapped the baby on the bed.'

In this multi-award-winning autobiographical novel, Cristovão Tezza struggles with a phantom shame when his son, Felipe, is born with Down syndrome. From the initial shock of diagnosis, to a new world of hospitals and therapy, Tezza delicately threads the story of his son's life with his own. Felipe, who lives in an eternal present, becomes a remarkable young man, but Tezza yearns for a 'normal' existence that is always out of reach. He must force himself to come to terms with his own limitations - an internal war that has raged for decades. With compelling insight and honesty, Tezza takes us deep into his mind as he challenges his understanding of family, fatherhood, and love. The Eternal Son is an unforgettable masterpiece by one of Brazil's finest novelists.

'Drawing on his own experiences, Brazilian Cristovao gives us an acute and sometimes brutal look into the mind of a young father whose first son is born with Down Syndrome ... It is easy to see why this book attracted a slew of awards...'