Carlotto (The Goodbye Kiss), the master of
Mediterranean noir, has fashioned a dark, twisted tale of retribution. Fifteen years earlier, Silvano Contin's wife and only child were murdered by robbers, one of whom made off with the loot while the other got a life sentence. Now lifer and cancer-striken Raffaello Beggiato (convicted of the murders, despite his denials) seeks a pardon. Contin-still tormented by his wife's dying words-refuses to support Beggiato's request until he sees it as a means of identifying the other robber. Sitting among his family's stored belongings, Contin talks to his dead wife about his plan, which turns increasingly dark and violent. In his laconic style, Carlotto-himself imprisoned for years for a crime he didn't commit-provides twists and turns in his story, which ultimately explores the issue of justice. A disturbing, haunting novel.
by Michele Leber
