The Dark Paintings [Paperback]

Hugh Fleetwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

Wealthy, depraved and hugely gifted, Luigi Teramo likes to think of himself as a cross between a pagan fertility god and an evil wizard. Luigi has deliberately rejected his youthful talent for art in favour of making money, and of spending his fortune on young men and drugs. But he cannot bring himself to destroy the fruits of that rejected talent - his early paintings. And as the years pass, it starts to seem that those paintings possess a terrible power. A power that will cause Luigi's life to spin out of control, will destroy almost all who get close to him, and will end by involving him in blackmail, and murder. The Dark Paintings is both a thriller and a black comedy - entertaining, shocking and profoundly disturbing. 'A tinge of the supernatural, a titillating whiff of the perverse, and - topping it off - a compelling miasma of creepiness' - Books To Watch Out For

Editorial Reviews

Review

A tinge of the supernatural, a titillating whiff of the perverse, and topping it off a compelling miasma of creepiness -- - Richard Labonte - Books To Watch Out For August 2006

About the Author

Hugh Fleetwood was born in Sussex, spent his early adult life in Italy, and now lives in London. He has published twenty books, that have been translated into many different languages, has written or co-written six screenplays, and has had exhibitions of his paintings in Rome, Spoleto and London. His second novel The Girl Who Passed For Normal won the John Llwellyn Rhys Memorial Prize; his sixth, The Order of Death, was made into a film starring Harvey Keitel and John Lydon (Johnny Rotten).

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: BIGfib Books (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2952489955
• ISBN-13: 978-2952489959
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,655,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Dark Novel, July 23, 2007

By 

H. F. Corbin "Foster Corbin" (ATLANTA, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dark Paintings (Paperback)

Although at times this story reminded me of the works of the American writers John Preston and Dennis Cooper and also of the French writer Yves Navarre's brilliant novel SWEET TOOTH, Hugh Fleetwood's THE DARK PAINTINGS ultimately is his and his alone. I have read only two of his novels-- although he has written many-- and both of them are unique and take the reader into the heart of darkness. In this, his latest, he has created a character, Luigi Teramo, the first-person narrator, who is at once funny, repulsive, depraved and--in his own words-- "the goat-man, the evil genius," the "Lord of Misrule"). He is also much richer than his straight siblings who hate him and much better endowed than his brothers as well as the favorite child of his father. In his defense he maintains that other than his "promiscuity and a fondness for cannabis and cocaine," he is no better or worse than most people. He further alleges that he never subjected anyone to any sexual activity without that person's consent and believes in what he calls "the rather old fashioned notion that one should try to behave to others as one would have them behave to oneself," or the golden rule according to Luigi. Apparently he has forgotten his sadistic bondage session with a most unwilling lover Ernst near the beginning of the novel.

The novel's title is derived from a group of paintings that Luigi painted in his youth which have long since been locked up and out of public view when he, now in his 50's tells his story. He goes through a string of artistic lovers, all of whom sans one are pawns in his games. Additionally an old friend of his Italian family and next-door neighbor, Caterina, whom he often describes as a witch, keeps coming in and out of his life, always giving him advice, whether asked for or not.

This black comedy has enough suspense to keep even the most jaded of readers interested. It is difficult, however, to say much about the labyrinthian plot without giving it away. There is a big surprise near the end of the novel that the clever author has hinted about to the reader all along.

You will never read another novel quite like this one. It deserves to be read by a wide audience.