Phenotypes

Here is a smart and stylish account of the bigotry lurking in hearts and institutions alike. Federico and Loureno are brothers. Their father is black, a famed forensic pathologist for the police; their mother is white. Federico – distant, angry, analytical – has light skin, which means he’s always been able to avoid the worst of the racism Brazilian culture has to offer. He can ‘pass’ as white, and yet, because of this, he has devoted his life to racial justice. Loureno, on the other hand, is dark-skinned, easygoing, and well-liked in the brothers’ hometown of Porto Alegre – and has become a father himself. As Federico’s fiftieth birthday looms, he joins a ludicrous yet chilling governmental committee in the capital.