Infinite Books

Vivian, the protagonist of  Clara Drummond’s short novel Role Play, is a young woman from a wealthy family who lives in Rio de Janeiro and works as a curator at an art gallery. The story is written as an inner monologue, commenting on the events Vivian witnesses, the most dramatic of which is a case of police brutality.

Vivian is beautiful, intelligent, and an excellent observer. Surrounded by her equally gorgeous friends, she devotes most of her time to sex, parties, and drugs. In her words, “there is no such thing as a rich person who is genuinely good,” and indeed, her wealth seems to be a handicap. She knows how shallow her everyday life is but doesn’t care about changing it. Full of self-deprecating, ironic remarks and sharp, excellent descriptions of other people in her life, Vivian’s character looks like a modern, spoiled rich girl who tries to find distractions to convince her that everything is fine. If something or someone – like Darlene, a woman selling beer in front of Vivian’s place – succeeds in piercing Vivian’s carefully constructed barrier, the sensitive side that we see is short-lived and quickly buried under another few hours-long sex and drugs. However, the protagonist of Role Play is never simplistic; on the contrary, I found Vivian complex and thus fascinating.

This novel is a biting satire, and for me, it was a rather depressing read, more sad than funny. I didn’t see the joy in Vivian’s life. She was really trapped in her situation, playing a role that society expected her to play.  I couldn’t escape the question – when will Vivian be in ten years? What role will she play then? This short book gave me more food for thought than I expected.

ROLE PLAY by Clara Drummond, FSG, 2024