Death's Dark Abyss [Paperback]

What the noir genre does best is present a very average protagonist, usually a kind of down-on-his-luck kind of guy -- someone the reader can easily identify with, and then place him in some kind of moral quandary. Through the story, the reader is forced to consider what their own reactions would be to the situation and thus, their own morality. This slim Italian story is a prime example of this.

In it, we meet a totally unremarkable cobbler named Silvano Contin. Fifteen years ago, he was living a nice middle-class life as a wine salesman with a pretty wife and little boy. However, fate brought them in the path of a pair of escaping bank robbers, one of whom ended up killing the wife and son. This plunged Contin into depression and a general dissociation from the world. Meanwhile, one of the robbers was caught and put in prison for life, while the other was never found. Now, fifteen years later, Raffaello Beggiato is dying of cancer and appealing for clemency, while at the same time, hoping that if he is released, he can use his share of the loot to flee to Brazil and live large for his final days.

As part of the legal process, Contin is asked whether or not he wishes to forgive Beggiato (who swears it was his partner who killed the wife and kid). Contin doesn't forgive him one bit, but calculates that if Beggiato is freed, he might lead Contin to his accomplice, enabling some kind of revenge. Of course, simmering along with Contin's hate for the men who destroyed his life is the question of what we, the reader, would do in the same circumstances. When the Italian judicial system bumbles along and does eventually release Beggiato, it triggers a series of twists and turns worthy of any classic noir film, culminating in a satisfying epilogue. It's a quick and simple read that raises questions within the reader that are not so quickly or simply answered.

This book is pretty heavy, dark and twisted. At the same time, however, I was unable to put it down. Heart wrenching narrative, absolutely raw story line and an unexpected ending. It's a quick read. I enjoyed it and recommended it to others. Rare Italian Noir perfection.

I almost missed my train stop the other morning while turning the pages of this disturbingly amoral thriller. Its subject matter makes it hard to recommend, but at the same time difficult to tear one's attention from.

Silvano Contin's wife and child are mortal bystander-victims of a degenerate, coke-headed armed robber (Rafaello Beggiato) and his accomplice. Beggiato is sent to jail: his accomplice escapes and remains unidentified. Thereafter, the bereaved husband Contin sinks into a slough of despond for fifteen years. At the bottom of this well can be constantly heard echoing his wife's last words ... about being terrified of the engulfing darkness that is rising around her. Contin never forgets. Nor does he forgive. Then comes the day when the terminally ill Beggiato appeals to him for clemency. Something awakens within Contin: he plots a fearsome revenge.

Although once could hardly class this fast-paced thriller as literature, it does serve as a very dark reminder of the extent to which an act of savage turpitude can strip even the victim of his humanity. In the fifteen years that Contin has spent mourning, he has lost himself. The consequences for anyone even marginally complicit in the crime which seared his soul will be very bad indeed.

Massimo Carlotto writes with ruthless, almost impatient efficiency. He seems not so much to be telling the story as harshly running over it with a wood-plane - all non-essential shavings and curlicues go flying. It's a compelling read, but the reader will likely be appalled too.