Translated by Gregory Dowling — A lot of Italian crime fiction in English is dark, mafia-related or snowbound. Manzini, Carlotto, de Cataldo and Roberto Saviano spring to mind. The Fruttero and Lucentini novels are different, lighter, witty, slightly eccentric and colourful but no less steeped in character and place.
An Enigma by the Sea is the third novel to come our way following Fruttero and Lucentini’s introduction in English, The Lover of No Fixed Abode in 2024, then Runaway Horses last year. Originally written by the duo of journalists in Italy in 1991, it comes in a brand new, vibrant, playful and subtle translation. Their Venice-set debut was warmly received, why we had to wait so long for these novels in Britain is a mystery as the pairing have been popular across Europe for decades.
The comparison between this novel and Agatha Christie is inevitable. The closed setting and cast of players mean that many make the link but this is a markedly more grown-up affair. From ancient history to philosophical musings and into the darkest corners of the mind, this is an insightful read.
The novel is set on the breathtaking Tuscan coastline. There’s a mid-winter chill and the beautiful backdrop is soon subverted by strange happenings and an ominous sense that worse is to come. The Maremma area is made up of private beaches, traditional communities and new invaders – wealthy people looking for a bolthole. An assortment of finely drawn characters, an eclectic mix, populate the pages. Were it not for the fact that this is a murder mystery these people might appear in a surrealist’s dreamscape.
At the heart of the story is the village of Gualdana, an exclusive enclave of wealthy Italians and other Europeans. It has one road in and security guards on the gate to keep out unwelcome visitors. Inland, it is bordered by a thick pine forest that surrounds the enclave. Everyone here has a secret and we are encouraged to wonder what goes on behind closed doors as the characters are introduced to us in a steady parade. Some have personal problems, others more significant troubles with ramifications for the new community. When things get nasty the local carabinieri are soon out of their depth.
The plush villas are home to a depressed academic, Gabriele Monforti. He is in love with Natalia Neri. She has been deserted by her husband and now he has married the occupant of another villa, the ex-wife of a philandering aristo, Count Delaude. Delaude has returned with a young actress/model in tow, Katia. There are two tarot reading pensioners and the Zemes, a couple from Rome on a break. The wife is also a depressive and seems troubled. There’s a pompous MP, a priest and two stand up comedians, Max and Fortini, who are desperately seeking inspiration. Then there are assorted servants and a modern-day hermit, Ugo. It could be a farce in the making, a village saga or, indeed, a mystery.
When the novel opens the focus is on a missing child, the toddler son of an Englishwoman suddenly disappears from the beach. Panic sets in, soon everyone is involved or hiding from events. Fortunately, the matter is soon happily resolved. Yet, seemingly inevitably, we arrive at a dead body washed up on the shore. Is this murder or misfortune? Evidence of torture would suggest the former. Who in this small respectable community could be responsible?
The playboy aristocrat is the victim, it is soon discovered that his starlet lover is missing and to add to the intrigue, so are the couple from Rome. To everyone’s dread the privacy and quiet life of the community is shattered, foibles and secrets are in danger of exposure, and there is a new level of anxiety and fear. As the cops are no help someone has to step up. Academic Monforti begins to put the puzzle together, the hunt is on for the killer or killers, but he is still preoccupied by his desire to ‘get the girl’. The veneer of respectability and apparently ordinary lives is undermined.
This is an intricately woven and suspenseful tale, a literary read. If you are of a philosophical bent, there is much to ponder, while if you revel in a cunningly smart mystery, there is much fun to be had. If you like both, as I do you’ll be very happy here. A mix of satire and black comedy, An Enigma by the Sea is one of the most enjoyable reads of the year so far.
Read our interview with translator Gregory Dowling here.
Bitter Lemon Press
Print/Kindle
£5.99
CFL Rating: 5 Stars
