In Your Hands

In Your Hands by Inêz Pedrosa intriguingly addresses typical, yet universally compelling, topics like love, family, politics, and tragedy in a way that is entirely unique. There are three perspectives that tell the stories of the novel. The first perspective is that of the quietly passionate Jenny, who weds a man named António, who is both charming and intelligent. Starting with the wedding night, we learn that there is a third in their relationship, António’s lover Pedro. This love triangle challenges the readers’ conceptions of love as they witness these three characters build deep relationships with one another while they navigate keeping up appearances and raising their daughter, Camila. Camila offers the second perspective in the novel. Camila is a photojournalist whose attachment to absolute certainties, mission to capture truth, and dismissal of love emerge out of the family dynamic in which she was raised and the absence she felt from it. The third perspective in the novel is that of Camila’s daughter Natália. Natália is an architect, who, like Camila, undertakes a journey through her past to find that her life and views are profoundly shaped by both her grandmother Jenny and her mother, Camila. In Your Hands provides readers with a devastatingly beautiful and raw portrait of three generations of women shaped by love, family, politics, and tragedy.