The Disappearance of Signora Giulia

Thank you Net Galley. A beautiful, mystery novella. I loved the plot and the pacing. The story is short and every word counts. I recommend this book highly. I will definitely be on the lookout for more by this author.

Wonderfully evocative, THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SIGNORA GIULIA imparts much information about the society in which it is set in a short, but beautifully balanced novel.

When Signora Giulia goes missing, police detective Sciancalepre follows the investigation with dogged determination over a number of years. For much of this time it seems that the Signora has simply vanished into thin air. No body is found, nor are there sightings of her that lead to more than new questions. Coming from a small village as they all do, there is however, much gossip about her taciturn, older lawyer husband; about her marriage; and the possibility that she had a much younger lover.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SIGNORA GIULIA is a fascinating book - immersed as it is in the place from which it comes, it gives the reader a feeling of being in somewhere completely different, despite it being translated for accessibility. Sciancalepre is somebody that you feel that you'd know if were to come across him in a little cafe, the same with the Signora's husband and his eventual estrangement from his daughter, and the way that he withdraws from his life with his wife, leaving their shared home is quite moving. The way that he starts to appear quietly in the night in the garden of that house, only to be seen by his daughter and new son-in-law is restrained in the telling, but moving nonetheless. Obviously this is a man who is hiding something - but is he the killer of his wife, or does he still mourn for her?

As well as those character study elements, there's a nicely twisting plot here with lots of possible answers to the fate of Signora Giula, some of which the reader will guess, some of which will come as a surprise. Combine that with the perfect ending for this style of novel (and one most definitely not for fans of absolutes) THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SIGNORA GIULIA is a taste of Italy, granted without the elaborate food descriptions of more well known series, but with everything else you could possibly ask for.

As part of its new Vertigo imprint, Pushkin Press has brought back The Disappearance of Signora Giulia, first published in 1979. It is actually a novella in length and a classic police procedural set in Italy in style. A beautiful woman, in what appears to be a less than fulfilling marriage, has disappeared. Her husband, a well known, perhaps renowned, local lawyer reports this to his friend the local police detective. This is the set up of so many such tales.

What takes this story beyond some others of its type are the many twists and turns that occur over time as everyone tries to discover what might have happened to Signora. While I initially I thought, ho-hum, I ended my reading thinking, well-done.

3.5 rounded to 4*

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Author Piero Chiara (1913 – 1986) was a celebrated Italian writer and the winner of many literary awards in his home country, although this is the first of his works translated into English. Although he did badly at school as a boy, he was self taught and cultivated a passion for literature. Critical of fascism, Chiara had intended to emigrate to Bolivia, but was forced to stay in Italy due to the outbreak of WWII. When an arrest warrant was issued by the fascist government, he was forced to flee to Switzerland in 1944 and only returned to Italy after the war. As well as writing, Chiara was a notable actor. Many of his books were filmed and he often appeared in these adaptations – often as an extra, or in a small part. He wrote many short stories, as well as novels, and screenplays, and often had a touch of the biographical in his work.

Pushkin Press excel at publishing translations of European works and I was pleased to get a chance to read this author – new to me – and deserving of a bigger audience. This novella length story is set in a small town in northern Lombardy, where the Commissioner for public safety is Corrado Sciancalepre. Sciancalepre is much loved, and respected, by the people of the town and so it is obvious that the lawyer, Esengrini, turns to him for help when his wife disappears.

Signora Guilia is much younger than her husband and spends every Thursday visiting her daughter, Emilia, at boarding school. Before long, the small town has become a hotbed of gossip and speculation – Signora Guilia has left her husband for another man, she has run away or been murdered. Eyes turn towards Esengrini and even his daughter, Emilia, looks upon him with suspicion. Sciancalepre becomes slightly obsessed with the case; following up leads and keeping in close contact with Emilia and her new husband as the years pass. It seems as though the case will never be closed, but the answer to the case may be closer to home than Sciancalepre first realised…

This is very much a literary mystery and falls more into the category of literary fiction, rather than crime. The writing is slightly dry and distanced and, even when clues are uncovered, you see Sciancalepre’s response but do not necessarily feel any tension. As such, this is a puzzle, rather than a mystery, and concerned with the shadow of a suspected crime and how it falls over those involved – including Esengrini and the inhabitants of the town. The writing is delicate and conjours up the impression of the place and people. I would certainly like to read more by this author and am grateful that Pushkin Press bring so many works into translation for us to enjoy. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

Genius! Good, old mystery!!!!

This story is wonderfully written. Full of wonderful characters and evocative settings, it was lovely to read. The open ending may appeal more to European tastes than to American ones. The story reads more like literature than modern mystery.

This is a charming, if fairly inconsequential, literary mystery set in Lombardy. It tells of the disappearance of the eponymous Signora Giulia who suddenly goes missing from her home and family, and I was certainly kept guessing the whole way through. It’s a short novel, but well-plotted and well-paced and I hope that more of Piero Chiara’s books will be translated into English – this is the first one. Well done to Pushkin Press who have a real knack for discovering these hidden gems of world literature.