Not to Fall on Ice
Not to Fall on Ice by Elizabeth Silva, published by Troubador Publishing Limited on April 28, 2025, is a literary fiction work that explores the life of Isabel Mendes, who leaves Brazil during a significant political transition. Arriving in London amidst the turmoil of Thatcher’s miners’ strike, Isabel navigates a new culture and career, ultimately distancing herself from her origins in unexpected ways. Her journey leads her to a partnership with a high-flying academic, resulting in a shared life in both the United States and England.
In this edition, readers will find Isabel reflecting on her past as she faces her mother’s impending death and the complexities of her family ties. The narrative delves into her memories, shaped by thirty-five years of letters that connect her experiences across London, Boston, Leeds, and Brazil. Not to Fall on Ice presents a nuanced account of a woman’s struggle with identity, cultural divergence, and familial connections, inviting readers to contemplate the choices and risks that define her life. This 296-page book is written in English and offers a profound exploration of personal history and cultural intersection.
Official synopsis Publisher
When Isabel Mendes left Brazil for London the dictatorship under which she had grown up was coming to an end. Instead, she arrived during Thatcher’s crushing of the miners’ strike, resonating with repressions left behind. Engaged in new work and a different culture she changed. Choices arose which distanced her from her origins in ways she never expected. Intellectually and love hungry, she became the partner of a high-flying academic, leading to a shared life in the United States, where they had a daughter, and later in England to where they returned.
Now, Isabel is retired. She has had an academic career. Her mother is dying. She has never wanted to erase her Brazilian family from her life, but her four siblings act as though she has cut ties with them and their history. As her mother dies and leaves her thirty-five years of letters between London, Boston, Leeds, and Brazil, the archive provides a guide for her memories of choices, risks, fear, loneliness, and courage.
Not to Fall on Iceis the story of a woman remembering and accounting for the strangeness of her place in divergent cultures, changing times, and family connections.
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