The Lady of Solitude projects a fresh and daring new voice on to the Brazilian literary scene. These transgressive and highly charged erotic stories are all written from a woman's point of view and they offer an unexpected perspective on the world, sex and desire in a changing Brazilian and global context. That is not to say that all of Parisot's characters are strong, emancipated and resolute: they just live in a world where relationships of all kinds have changed. Avowedly a disciple of the famous detective writer Rubem Fonseca, Paula Parisot adds a new and sinister twist to crimes of passion in the big city. Some of the settings are familiar to Fonseca fans: high society salons, favelas, back alleys, and hotels in European capitals. Alternating the register from interior monologue to letters and omniscient narration, Parisot brings to the surface intimate moments as well as exact instants when certain social conventions change, move on or die.