A Brazilian Love Story
February's book club pick is a new classic of magical realism
I’ve just returned to Mexico City after nearly three months in Brazil — and while most of the world is celebrating Valentine’s Day and Brazil is exploding into Carnaval 2026, I’m thinking about a saint.
That is, The Head of the Saint — A Cabeça do Santo by Socorro Acioli — the best book I read while in Brazil.
Santo Antônio — Brazilian Matchmaker
Before I get into the plot, a fun fact: Brazil doesn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. Instead, they celebrate Dia dos Namorados on June 12th, the eve of St. Anthony of Padua, or Santo Antônio, a saint revered across Brazil, especially in the Northeast.
Santo Antônio is Brazil’s unofficial matchmaker — famous for helping single women find husbands and even intervening in the most desperate cases.
Brazilian women have traditionally called on Santo Antônio’s powers by placing the Saint upside down until he brings them a boyfriend, hiding him in a glass of water, or whispering requests for a husband.
Which brings us back to the story of The Head of The Saint.
My Brazilian Crush
I found this book through an unexpected crush. Part of the reason I went to Brazil was to give myself a break from the Mexico City dating scene.
Over the last year I made a concerted effort to date intentionally — a relationship workshop in Big Sur, dating against my type, asking out friends of friends. I put myself out there and subsequently endured more rejection than ever before.
Despite Brazil’s reputation as the sexiest country on Earth, I honestly went there intending to take a break from dating. I signed up for an intensive Portuguese class, started practicing jiu-jitsu, and worked on writing my upcoming one-man show.
Then something unexpected happened. I started to develop a crush on one of the teachers at my language school. She was gorgeous, intelligent, and passionate about the books she recommended on the language school’s Instagram account.
She wasn’t my direct teacher and we didn’t have many interactions, so one day after class I decided to ask her for a book recommendation. She said The Head of the Saint would suit my intermediate Portuguese — and that I could finish it in a week.
Eager to have more to discuss, I ran out to grab a copy and devoured it in a week.
Was it performative male reading? At first, absolutely.
But the story pulled me in and I soon found myself immersed in this beautiful tale, which recalled Pedro Páramo and the love stories of Gabriel García Márquez.
It was a quick and simple read (even for someone learning the language) and I’m sure it will be equally delightful in the English translation, which was a LA Times Book Prize Finalist.
Interested in more? Read on.
A Modern Magical Realism Classic
The Head of the Saint opens with a 14-year-old-boy Samuel fulfilling his dying mother’s wish of traveling to the north of Brazil in search of his grandmother and the father he never knew. Samuel is broke, homeless, and rejected by his grandmother, so he takes shelter on the outskirts of town in a giant hollow head of St. Anthony, a remnant of a failed attempt to erect a statue to Brazil’s saint of love over a decade earlier.
That’s when the magical realism starts. From his home inside “The Head of the Saint”, Samuel begins to hear voices. At first, he thinks that he’s going crazy. But he quickly realizes that these voices are actually the whispered prayers of the village’s many lonely women. The villagers are so haunted by unrequited love that Samuel decides to intervene and answer these prayers, inadvertently turning himself into a miracle worker.
As Samuel’s mischief increases, the town becomes a pilgrimage spot for the loveless of Brazil — and the story becomes a wonderful tale of longing, saudade, and love.
Did Marko Find Love?
Perhaps you’re wondering — did reading this book get me a date with the teacher?
I devoured the book in under a week, skipping over vocabulary words to reach the conclusion of this well-spun tale.
Would the villagers find love? Would Samuel find his father—and a love of his own?
By the time I reached the end of the book, I was eager to talk to my crush about the story and maybe even ask her on a date.
Each interaction with her was warm — but gently redirected to professionalism.
An earlier version of myself might have seen this as a challenge to be overcome. After all, what’s more romantic than winning over our object of desire?
Maybe in classical love stories. But we live in a time when no means no, even in a country like Brazil where strangers kiss each other on the street without even saying Bom dia first.
When I realized that the crush was not mutual, it felt like one final sting of rejection to close out 2025. But I soon realized the lesson in both the book and my real-life experience.
Unrequited love is neither a verdict on our lovability nor a challenge to be overcome through persistence. Yes, we can pray to Saint Antônio, cast love spells, or compare the birth charts of our crushes. But ultimately, the only way to find love is to cultivate it in ourselves first and foremost.
Since returning from Brazil, my friends have told me that I’ve had a glow up. Was it the sun? A few beijos na rua? Perhaps.
If I had to guess, I’d reckon it was the courage to leave my friends and family behind, travel to a city where I knew no one, learn a new language, practice new hobbies, and spend less time worrying about finding the right person and more time enjoying life. Because the most attractive thing of all is cultivating a life that others want to be a part of.
So no, I didn’t end up dating my crush. But if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have found this amazing book that showed me so much about the spirit of love present in every corner of Brazil.
And perhaps that’s the deeper lesson I brought back from Brazil: love can’t be forced. It can only be practiced. Sometimes the miracle isn’t getting your dream person. It’s becoming the version of yourself who’s ready when the right one arrives.
Exciting News…
The same is true for storytelling — it can’t be forced, just practiced. Which brings me to some exciting news…
As you may know, I’ve been developing my storytelling for years through my live shows in Mexico City. And finally, these stories are coalescing into a one man show.
I spent the last few months in Brazil workshopping new material with small audiences ahead of a public debut this spring.
I have a few spaces reserved for paying subscribers of this newsletter and will be announcing upcoming workshopping sessions coming soon.
Stay tuned, and thank you for your support while I develop this show!
Best,
Marko