(Fourth Estate, $36.99)I wasn’t sure about this book at first. only a few pages in, the main character refers to reading Anna Karenina aloud to her boyfriend, which would not make her my cup of tea. However, despite it being a tad literary, the way the story is written nonetheless slowly drew me in and eventually I found I couldn’t put it down even though not much really happens.
oira is a writer of African-American heritage living in Italy in the present day but looking back on her affair with a Venetian tycoon who “once wrecked part of her life” and still rings her up every now and then to torture her.
We slowly learn how she met this tycoon, Zenin, on her way to Rome to join her lovely first husband, and how the affair continued for years, how her first marriage ended and how she now juggles a new Italian husband and a young family with her older daughter and painful history.
often I find it irritating when details are drip fed but it seems to work in Lost Hearts in Italy, plus the author has used the rather delightful technique of dropping in short accounts along the way from innocent bystanders: The newspaper vendor, the tarot card reader, the fruit seller.
To be honest, I didn’t always see the appeal in Zenin. He’s not a very good advertisement for Italian men, if you ask me. I’d probably prefer oira’s husband, Nick. And how many women could keep a wardrobe of designer clothes hidden without wearing any of them, the way she does? I certainly could not gad about in my own tatty threads if there was a secret stash of Chanel in the house. of course, in my case, a Venetian tycoon could clothe me in gold lamé from head to foot and the Ginger would never notice.
It’s a good sign when you care enough about a character to question her choices or put yourself in her position, though. And this is a good Book Club book, I suspect, because it will throw up many questions about relationships, and also prompt many a juicy memory of loved ones who have hurt or been hurt. You know, gossip.
By the way, the author is a writer of African-American descent who moved to Italy and now juggles an Italian husband and a new young family, etc etc etc.
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