Books Read in May 2011

• Hasta nunca mi amor (English title: The Goodbye Kiss), Massimo Carlotto (Booket, 2011)
• Diamond Dove, Adrian Hyland (Quercus, 2008)
• Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder, Shamini Flint (Piatkus, 2009)
• Lennox, Craig Russell (Quercus, 2010)
• The Abominable Man, Maj Söjwall & Per Wahlöö (Harper Perennial, 2007)
• Un crimen inperfecto (English title: A Not So Perfect Crime), Teresa Solana (Debolsillo, 2008)
• Muerte en Florencia (English title: Death in Florence), Marco Vichi (Duomo, 2011)
• Echoes from the Dead, Johan Theorin (Black Swan, 2009)

Hasta nunca, mi amor de Massimo Carlotto

This post is bilingual; scroll down for the English language version

Título original: Arrivederci amore, ciao, 2000. Traducción de M.ª Ángeles Cabré. Booket 2011. Emecé Editores. 172 páginas. ISBN: 978-84-96580-69-5.

Contrariamente a mi costumbre de leer sólo un libro a la vez, elegí de mi estantería Hasta nunca, mi amor, un libro relativamente corto, sólo 172 páginas en mi edición. El tamaño era el adecuado para llevarlo conmigo. Y en pocas horas lo había devorado en lugar de leerlo.

En la contraportada se dice: Massimo Carlotto nos sumerge en la mente de alguien que está dispuesto a todo para medrar en la sociedad y redimir su pasado político. Un retrato insólito y sorprendente de la Italia contemporánea. Negro, duro y violento.

La historia está  contada en primera persona por Giorgio Pellegrini, un italiano que lucha en América Central junto con un grupo guerrillero. Ha recibido la orden de matar a un compatriota que huyó con él. Ambos estaban condenados a cadena perpetua en rebeldía. En los años 70 y como militantes de un grupo de izquierda colocaron una bomba en la sede de la Asociación de Industriales matando a un vigilante nocturno. Pellegrini ejecuta la orden, mata a su compañero y decide volver a Italia. Quiere redimirse por su pasado político y convertirse en un hombre respetable. Nadie ni nada lo detendrá.

El libro gira en torno a un personaje frío y calculador, amoral y despiadado, brutal y ambicioso, egoísta e inteligente, totalmente incapaz de tener ningún sentimiento o sentir remordimiento alguno. Desde el principio sabemos que es un asesino, no podemos sentir simpatía alguna por él. El libro no es apto para todas las sensibilidades, sin embargo me pareció interesante, su ritmo es rápido y me resultó entretenido. Puede que no sea una gran novela, pero es una lectura digna en mi opinión.

Para su biografía e información adicional haga clic AQUI y AQUI.

The Goodbye Kiss by Massimo Carlotto

Contrary to my habit of reading one book at a time, I chose from my bookshelf  The Goodbye Kiss, a relatively short book, only 172 pages in my edition. The size was just right to take it with me. And in a few hours I had devoured it rather than read it.

The back cover states: Massimo Carlotto plunges us into the mind of someone who is willing to do anything to climb in society and to redeem his political past. An unusual and striking portrait of a contemporary Italy. Noir, hard and violent

The story is told in first person by Giorgio Pellegrini, an Italian fighting in Central America with a guerrilla group. He has been ordered to kill a fellow countryman who fled with him. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia. In the 70’s as militants of a leftist group, they placed a bomb at the Industrial Association headquarter killing a night watchman. Pellegrini carries out the order to kill his comrade and decides to return back to Italy. He wants to redeem himself from his political past and become a respectable man. Nobody and nothing will stop him.

The book revolves around a cold and calculating character; amoral and ruthless; brutal and ambitious; selfish and intelligent; completely unable to have any sentiment or feel remorse. From the very beginning we know he is a murderer, we cannot have any sympathy for him. The book is not for all sensibilities, however I found it interesting, fast-paced and very entertaining. It might not be a great novel, but it’s a worthy read in my opinion.

For a biography and additional information click HERE.

The Goodbye Kiss has been reviewed at International Noir Fiction, Euro Crime, The View from the Blue House, among others.

How to choose what to read next: Italian Crime Fiction (2)

The four Italian crime fiction writers that presently interest me most are: Andrea Camilleri, Carlo Lucarelli, Gianrico Carofiglio and Massimo Carlotto. My plans for the next year include to start reading the Montalbano series in order and finished De Luca trilogy, from my TBR pile. From my wish list I will probably buy next Involuntary Witness and Death’s Dark Abyss.

For additional information on Italian Author’s click HERE. More information can be found at Crime Time, Euro Crime and Italian mysteries.

To be continued…..