The Lover of no Fixed Abode by Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini

Book Blurb
It begins with a troubling encounter on a flight to Venice. She is a Roman aristocrat and art dealer on the search for undervalued paintings and he a mysterious tour guide. She is invited to cosmopolitan parties by Venetian social and art glitterati. Mr. Silvera, a guide whose erudition and distinction are in sharp contrast with his beat-up suitcase and stain-spotted raincoat, drags his shabby tourists from monument to monument. Their passion will last three days, long enough to be exposed to unscrupulous art dealers and other scammers, passing off worthless paintings as part of a famous collection. Silvera seems to know every language and all secrets. But who is he really? Around them, the canals and lagoons of Venice, a city which becomes a character in the novel in its own right.

My Review
The Lover of no Fixed Abode is translated from the origional Italian into English by Gregory Dowling. This is a quirky read set in one of my favourite cities, Venice, with two very strange central characters and a host of wonderful supporting characters, includung La Serenissima herself.

I can’t remember a book where the two central characters are so elusive, to each other and to the reader. Mr Silvera is a holiday company rep taking a group on the first part of their holiday to Venice. Whilst on the plane he meets a Roman aristocrat who works for a british auction house, no name given, and this is all we know about them, and they know about each other when their paths cross a a cafe in Venice. I found their relationship like a pas de deux, dancing around each other, not learning much, with Venice as their stage. Mr Silvera has the charm and self effacing character of an Englishman, very humble yet elusive with an air of mystery about him, but who is he really? Whilst we don’t’ know the name of the aristocratic lady we do know that she is married, and open to a brief affair. I felt very much the voyeur watching their relationship develop, and was intrigued to see them as a couple together and in social groups, and how they were received by others, especially the mysterious Mr Silvera.

I mentioned that I felt like a voyeur above and this was a feeling through the whole book. There was very much the idea of people watching, both as a reader and as the different characters judge each other, trying to see through people’s facade, to see their true intensions. Venice herself is a character in this way, visitors see only the beauty of the city whilst those that know the city best see it’s flaws, the run down Palazzos, the faded art, the chipped woodwork and general deterioration. Fruttero and Lucentini have a wonderful turn of phrase and sense of the human condition that give rise to plenty of humour, wit and sarcasm that made me laugh. It did feel a bit stilted at times but in any translated book small nuanes can be missed but it didn’t stop my enjoyment in the book. I also loved the discussions on art and how the term ‘esque’ seemed to be applied to a lot of work to make it more saleable, and the criminal side of putting a famous artist in a collection of faked and less valuable works to get it out of the country.

The Lover of no Fixed Abode is a quirky, witty and delectable read. The mystery of the characters, watching their stories unfold to a surprising conclusion made for an intriguing and compelling read. My favourite part though was the commentary on the characters by other characters, judgments made, and how they all saw each other; who doesn’t love people watching. The whole book has a feeling of ambiguity about it, you are never quite sure of the character’s or their situations that open up the humour and wit of the book. I will be fascinated to see of any of Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lecentini’s other books will now be translated, I really hope they do.

Id like to thank Anne Cater and Bitter Lemon Press for my invite to this blog tour in return for my honest review.