AfterabandoninghistraditionallifeinadeterioratingPortoAlegre,thenarratorofHugsandCuddleszealouslyrecommitshimselftoamanhecalls“theengineer“,achildhoodfriendwithwhomhesharedapivotalsexualencounter.Manyyearshavepassedsincetheirprepubescentwrestling;everywherearoundthemisanationindecline.RepresentativesoftheBrazilianstate--everyonefromgovernmentofficialstotheimpoverished--endlesslyharasspassers-byfordonationsto“thecause,“evenasamysteriousplaguerages.Nevermindthat.Ourinsatiablenarrator,driventodiscoverhistrueselfthroughincreasinglytransgressivesexualurges,isonanepicjourneythroughtheshadowsofthisdysfunctionalyetpolitesociety.TheresultingnovelisthelateJo瓊oGilbertoNoll’smostradicalstatement:ABookofRevelations-gradevoyagetotheendofgenderandtheoutermostreachesofsexualandartisticexpression.NimblytranslatedfromPortuguesebyEdgarGarbelotto,HugsandCuddlesisanunapologeticallyexplicitfableoffluiditythattakesreadersfromdecayingcitycenterstothedarkcorridorsofamysterioussubmarinetoamiserablehovelintherainforest,where,atlonglast,ournarratorfindspeace.
