Voice of the Violin

Voice of the Violin (1997/2003) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli

This story is a turning point for Catarella.

“(I)n a few days, some absolutely up-to-date computer will be arriving… He wanted each of us to give him the name of an officer we thought had a special knack for computer science. Which I did.”

“Are you insane? Nobody here knows a goddamn thing about the stuff. Whose name did you give up?”

“Catarella,” said an utterly serious Mimi Augello.

I shan’t tell you how it works out. You’ll have to read for yourself.

Of course, Catarella remains, in many ways, unchanged.

(T)he door to the inspector’s office flew open, slamming into the wall, and Catarella came barreling into the room.

“The next time you come in here like that, I’m gonna shoot you. And you know I mean it.”

And then there’s the food. Even simple things make me hungry.

“Want a little wheat bread? I took it out of the oven less than an hour ago. Shall I prepare you some?”

Without waiting for an answer, she cut two slices from a loaf, dressed them in olive oil, salt, and black pepper, adding a slice of pecorino cheese…

Yeah, I’m hungry just thinking about that–never mind the fact I had a delicious and filling dinner.

There is also, of course, a murder to be solved. And it’s fascinating and horrible, and well done.

Oh, one last bit–you can tell when this story was written, not as much by the reference to computers at the start of the story, but by these passage.

“Assuming a boarding pass exists, it means nothing, even if the protagonist’s name is on it. Anyone can use it since they don’t ask for ID.”

That world is so strange and foreign today.
Rating: 8/10
Published by Penguin

 
 

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