Sergio Y. by Alexandre Vidal Porto
Alex Ladd renders in aggressively plainspoken English Alexandre Vidal Porto's short but powerful novel about a renowned therapist from São Paulo named Armando. Despite the fact that Armando is so renowned, he failed to recognize that his patient, Sergio, was trans, and suffered from depression as a result of not knowing that. Armando discovered Sergio was trans only after he came across the news that a person named Sandra, who matched Sergio's description in all but name, died in a freak accident. While trying to learn more about Sandra, Armando hears that Sandra cited her therapist's treatment as the most important and beneficial intervention on her path to understanding herself and living a more fulfilled life. Armando's reflections on what it means for an expert to fail but in that failing still succeed are moving, and it's refreshing to see a representation of a trans character whose coming out was only one part of the many-faceted aspects of that character's life. RS
