October 1, 1997
Vaz, the winner of this year's Drue Heinz Literature Prize, believes that "stories keep us alive." Perhaps that is what gives the 12 tales in this work such urgency. Old world meets new as the book explores Portuguese American identity in places as disparate as Hawaii, California, and the Azores. "In My Hunt for King Sebastiao," Dean travels from America to Portugal to settle some family business. Along the way, he uncovers a number of long-hidden secrets. While despair is tempting, Dean refuses to give in to anger or depression. "Hope," he discovers, "is the most supreme form of defiance." Similarly, in "Undressing the Vanity Dolls," Reginald learns to let go of resentment so he can enjoy the company of a former mentor. Life's lessons are woven into many of these stories, but Vaz's touch is always light, suffused with reverence for whimsy and weird, serendipitous occurrences. Encounters with magic--sights, sensations, and sounds that cannot be rationally explained--give the book an unusual spark. Throughout, things of the spirit collide with material reality and tantalize those in their orbit, with satisfying results.--Eleanor J. Bader, New Sch. for Social Research, New York