Diego is an employee at the Ministry of Justice in Rome and the father of a gravely disabled boy. Though the birth of his son sent shockwaves through his life and his marriage, Diego is managing, now, to give himself and his family some semblance of routine and normality. His universe and its relative calm are thrown into turmoil by his meeting with Walid, an elegant and mysterious Middle Eastern man who is also the father of a disabled child. The two men, united by their shared pain, become friends and even as Walid's behavior grows increasingly mysterious, Diego is seduced by the man's charm and magnetism. He follows Walid on nocturnal odysseys into the underbelly of the Eternal City, on visits to dark places peopled with obscurely threatening figures. All evidence now points to the enigmatic figure's connection to sinister dealings and Diego senses that his association with Walid is involving him in matters that will threaten everything he holds dear. What does Diego really know about Walid other than his being the father of a disabled son, like himself? What exactly is he: terrorist? spy? international criminal? Or is Diego guilty of projecting his own barely acknowledged fears and doubts onto an innocent man? To answer these questions, Diego will have to follow his relationship with this man through to its frightful end, in the process asking himself some hard questions about his own nature.
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"A story of secrets, terrorism, spies, and international crime. This experience will transform the protagonist; in the end he will have to reconsider his relationship with The Other, with all that which is different, and with his own idea of 'normality.'"
-Vita Magazine
"A slim but touching and autobiographical noir novel from one of Italy's best writers in the genre."
-Quaderni Noir
-Vita Magazine
"A slim but touching and autobiographical noir novel from one of Italy's best writers in the genre."
-Quaderni Noir
About the Author
In addition to being a novelist, essayist, and the author of numerous screenplays for TV, Giancarlo De Cataldo is also a judge in the court of Rome. His books include Black Like the Heart, which inspired a film adaptation directed by Giancarlo Giannini, Tender Assassins, and Criminal Tale, recently made into a successful film by Michele Placido.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers,
By Leonard Fleisig "Len" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Father and the Foreigner (Europa Editions) (Paperback)
but every man shall die for his own sin." Chronicles 25:4
There are a few publishers who will cause me to give a book a try simply because they've published it. NYRB Classics is one and Europa Editions another. They each have a discerning eye for good writing and don't seem to feel constrained by genre or geography. So when I came across Giancarlo De Cataldo's "The Father and the Foreigner" I picked it up based on my previous experience with Europa. I was not disappointed. Diego Marini, lives in Rome, is a functionary at the Ministry of Justice and "the Father" of a severely handicapped infant. When the story opens Diego is sitting on a park bench waiting to pick up his child from the nursery school/therapy facility his parents have placed him in. It is clear he is depressed both over his child's disability and over the general stagnation that marks his marriage and his career. While sitting there another parent of a disabled child, "the Foreigner" strikes up a conversation. The conversation marks the beginning of a strange and mysterious friendship and "The Father and the Foreigner" tells the tale of that relationship. The Foreigner is from an unnamed country (Diego never learns his place of origin nor does the reader) in the Middle East. He appears to have a lot of money and is remarkably well-connected. However, there is more, much more to the Foreigner than meets the eye and Diego is at once both entranced and afraid of the prospect that the Foreigner's intrigue may be more than a bit dangerous. Diego's life is transformed and not necessarily for the better. I enjoyed "The Father and The Foreigner" for a number of reasons. First, although I wouldn't call this an espionage or spy thriller, the tone and plot lines called to mind the type of stories written by Eric Ambler (Cause for AlarmandBackground to Dangerfor example). Typically, Ambler would take an unassuming, unsuspecting spectator and immerse him in a world of mystery and intrigue in pre-World War II Europe. The character of Diego created by the author, Giancarlo De Cataldo really calls many of Ambler's protagonists to mind, albeit in a contemporary setting. The book was uneven in spots and some readers may be disturbed to find that this is not a pot boiling suspense story but a slower paced examination of a relationship between two men sharing a very sad common bond. However, for me the character development and the plotting made the book enjoyable. As noted, I picked this book up `on spec' but am happy I did. Recommended. L. Fleisig
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
