The Inquisitors' Manual

António Lobo Antunes's novel explores the decay of a family and an entire society, corrupted by decades of totalitarian rule. It follows Senhor Francisco, a powerful state minister and friend of Salazar, who expects to become prime minister after Salazar's incapacitation in 1968. When he is passed over, Francisco retreats to his farm, plotting a coup with other disgruntled officials. After a younger generation of officers stages their own coup in 1974, Francisco descends into paranoia, isolating himself on his farm to battle imagined threats.