August Heat

August Heat (2006/2009) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli

This is not my favorite Montalbano story. This is the book where the relationship between Montalbano and Livia starts to fall apart. (It continues to fall apart for the rest of the series so far.)

We also see Montalbano behaving in ways he’d avoided in the past–he’s weak in unexpected ways here, and we see a similar weakness occur in later books. I suppose it’s simply a personal disappointment. in that in some ways I expect better of him.

Livia and her friend Laura (and Laura’s family) come to vacation in Vitaga, and although it is a relatively last minute decision, Livia expects Montalbano to find her friend a house on the beach.

I really think Livia’s expectation was unreasonable, but Montalbano manages.

(The real estate agent) spat out a figure that was like a billy-club to the head. But Montalbano didn’t feel a think. After all, Laura was plenty rich and could pay her part to alleviate the poverty of Southern Italy.
“I like he,” he repeated.
“Naturally, there will be some additionally expenses–”
“Naturally, there won’t be any additional expenses,” said Montalbano, who didn’t want to be taken for a fool.

That’s not the first time Livia is unreasonable, and in this story, it certainly won’t be the last.

There are, however, some marvelous bits. Such as this scene:

At that moment he looked exactly like Cary Grant in Arsenic and Old Lace. He quickly slammed the trunk shut and sat down on top of it. When the beam from Livia’s flashlight shone on his face, he automatically smiled.

I love that nod to Arsenic and Old Lace, which is truly a marvelous movie.

And there are plenty of lines dropped, reminding me just how different Sicily is from the US.

“I found out the owner lived in Germany. It’s possible he forgot about our wonderful ancient customs and thought that people respected the law here the way they do in Cologne.”

Yet, so many things remain the same.

Garbage, the inspector though, had become the unmistakable sign that man had passed through any given place. In fact, they said Mount Everest had become a trash heap and that even outer space is a dump.

Ten thousand years from now, the sole proof that man once lived on this earth will be the discovery of enormous car cemeteries, the only surviving monuments of a former, ahem, civilization.

We have, of course, Fazio and Catarella, and also Mimi, though he’s never been a favorite of mine, and I’ve neglected him so far in my reviews, except as a foil for Montalbano.

Although this wasn’t my favorite book, it’s also a story you can’t skip, as, like I said, this begins the disintegration of his relationship between Montalbano and Livia.
Rating: 6.5/10

Published by Penguin

 
 

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