The Cave

Cipriano Algor, an elderly potter, lives with his daughter Marta and her husband Marçal in a small village near The Center, a large complex of shops, apartments, and offices where Marçal works as a security guard. Cipriano delivers his handmade pots and jugs to The Center until he is told to stop—customers prefer plastic goods instead. He attempts to adapt by making ceramic dolls, and The Center orders hundreds of them. After the order is suddenly cancelled, the family loses their income and is forced to move into The Center itself. Once in their new apartment, Cipriano and Marçal discover mysterious sounds of digging coming from beneath the building. Their investigation of what lies below transforms the family's circumstances. The novel explores how an ordinary family contends with the pressures of modern progress and institutional systems. Translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa.