Heliopolis by James Scudamore

In returning to South America for his second book – The Amnesia Clinic was set in Ecuador – James Scudamore again achieves something magical with the Booker-longlisted Heliopolis : detailing the intricate contradictions of the continent. Ludo is transplanted from the São Paulo favela as a very young child into the world of supermarket millionaire Ze. Grown up and working in marketing, Ludo finds his life self-destructive – he is smitten with Ze's daughter (essentially his sister) – and when he returns to the slum to make Ze's supermarket plans work, Ludo struggles with where he belongs. This is fast-paced, peppy but intelligent stuff. Sometimes, in fact, too fast-paced; this breathless, vividly sharp world is left behind all too quickly.