August Heat: An Inspector Montalbano Mystery
by Andrea Camilleri
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Book Reviews of August Heat: An Inspector Montalbano Mystery
Book Review: Some like it hot
Summary: 3 Stars
But not Inspector Montalbano. It is August in Sicily and Salvo Montalbano is not only wilting under the hot summer son but he's also beginning to get the `middle-aged' blues. To make matters worse, his girl friend Livia has decided to visit. That wouldn't be so bad except she has invited another family to accompany them and has instructed Montalbano to do the impossible: rent a summer beach house on the Sicilian coast without any prior notice. He manages, grudgingly, to find a beach house but when the guests arrive their young son disappears within steps of the beach house. What Montalbano uncovers during his search for the child and his subsequent investigation into that discovery forms the plot for Andrea Camilleri's "August Heat".
August Heat is the tenth in a series of Inspector Montalbano stories. Set in the fictional town of Vigata, Sicily, the series for me has always been marked by the larger-than life personality of Inspector Montalbano. Montalbano is a very appealing character. He is a Sicilian with a temper. He doesn't suffer fools gladly even when those fools happen to be authority figures. He has an enormous appetite for good food and each book contains reference to his never ending search for a tasty, well-prepared dish. His relationship with his long-time, long-distance lover, Livia, also plays a recurring role in the series and in "August Heat", the tension between them over the lost boy at the beach house seems to put their relationship in jeopardy.
As a fan of the series I have to admit being a bit disappointed by August Heat. Montalbano's ruminations on his own mortality marked a different tone from the earlier volumes and seemed to be a bit of a drag not only on Montalbano but also on this reader. That said, there is still a lot to like in August Heat. I enjoyed the plot and continue to enjoy Montalbano's relationship with his recurring cast of characters. I also love the picture he paints of life in Sicily. I realize this is a work of fiction but as I've read through the books in the series I can't help but feel as if I am getting a little taste of Sicily in each volume. My enjoyment of the book, therefore, probably stems as much from my enjoyment of the series as a whole. If this were the first Montalbano book I'd read I may not have rushed out to buy a half dozen more in the series. But it remained a very pleasant book to read while suffering through summer heat in a location far from Sicily.
The translation by Stephen Sartarelli should also be mentioned. Apparently much of the dialogue in the original is very idiomatic and reflects much of the slang common to Sicily. Sartarelli has done a very good job keeping much of the dialogue quirky enough in English to convey some of the changes in dialect set out in the original. The Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko once said that "Translation is like a woman. If it is beautiful, it is not faithful. If it is faithful, it is most certainly not beautiful." I get the feeling Sartarelli, by using idiomatic English slang (a Brooklyn accent or so it seems) for one character has gone for beauty and as a result the prose is very fluid and does not have the feel of a translation.
As far as summer reading is concerned, this is a perfectly enjoyable book even if it isn't Camilleri's best. L. Fleisig
Book Review: The Sad, Implacable Aging of a Good Author
Summary: 3 Stars
A strange little book is this "August Heat," clearly not Camilleri's best work, sorry to say. The plot is simple and contrived. The first 1/4 of the book is hilariously funny. The last 3/4 of the book almost completely lacks humor, except for a line or two here and there. In fact, the overall tale is quite dark and rather unappealing. The finale is disappointing, obvious, and transparent -- to the point of ridiculousness. The crimes and their tortured solutions are, simply put, uninteresting and unremarkable. The buried "lower apartment," so central to this story, was in fact almost impossible to picture clearly in your mind - you know, like from a blueprint perspective. I just didn't "get it."
Throughout the story, Inspector Montalbano sinks deeper into self-absorption, self-pity and his boring neurotic fixation on his own aging, so thematically present in the last 2 or 3 novels in this series. Montalbano has lost, unfortunately - at least for me - a lot of the appeal he once enjoyed as a man, as an inspector, as a fictional "flawed-but-good-guy-hero."
Adrianna, the main female character in this book is transparent and strangely "evil" in her own eerie way. Nothing she does or says comes across as honest, believable or trustworthy. From start to finish, she is wholly unlikable and unpleasant. She's no Livia!
I miss the steady, clear-headed, and believably emotional presence of Livia, Montalbano's apparently now-estranged girl friend/lover. Her voice of reason and ordinariness is sadly missing in this little story. Montalbano is not the same man without her. How many times do we have to read about his taking a long shower? 20? Kind of tiresome, no? And his ocean swims, that used to refresh him (and us), now only underscore his pathetic obsession about his lot in life. Honestly, I'm tired of his feeling so bloody sorry for himself. It's a turn off. And, once again in the middle of the novel, when the story line needs a lift, Camilleri resorts to the strange letter, summarizing the evidence, that Montalbano writes to himself, something he has done in at least two of the books now, an action that I think is totally out-of-character for him.
Once again, however, one of the best parts of the book is its strict adherence to the clear personalities of many recurring, interesting players. I particularly adore Catarella, the ditzy receptionist/office manager, who is usually called "Cat." The translation is first rate, as always. The dialogue, in addition to the laugh-out-loud humor in the first pages, is truly well-done. The notes at the book's end are, as always, very interesting.
"August Heat" is a fast and mostly enjoyable read, if only to bring you back into contact with some familiar, interesting, well-drawn fictional friends. It's a quick, almost comic-book-like read, worthy of 3 stars. You have done much better, Mr. Camilleri! But, I wonder, is it perhaps Camilleri the author himself, rather than fictional 55 year-old Montalbano, who is aging? After all, in September he will be 84. Is it time to bring this successful, once-fun series to an end? Perhaps.
Book Review: There's No Fool Like an Old Fool
Summary: 3 Stars
"But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." -- Matthew 5:28
Andrea Camilleri's latest police procedural looks at the perils and foibles of lust. Plenty of humor is added, but the bottom-line message is clear . . . lust isn't good for anyone.
Normally, Inspector Salvo Montalbano goes away to cool off in August, spending time with his part-time distant lover, Livia. This year, he cannot get away and Livia agrees to come to him. Life quickly becomes complicated when Livia insists at the last minute that he find a house to rent large enough for her friend and her friend's family.
All seems settled . . . until various unexpected problems arise. You'll probably laugh aloud at some of the sequences.
The humor quickly shifts to fear when the friend's son disappears. In the course of locating the child, Montalbano uncovers an old secret that creates a new mystery for him to solve.
The bulk of the time Montalbano is trying to solve the mystery of how to stay cool, especially by taking his clothes off when he shouldn't be doing so and taking long swims in the ocean when he's supposed to be elsewhere.
All those concerns are thrust to one side when Montalbano finds himself on the receiving end of a young woman's attentions that prove to be all-too-tempting.
The book has two weaknesses that you should be aware of before you read it:
1. The mystery's solution is very obvious . . . way too obvious.
2. The book's conclusion is telegraphed way too much.
But if you would like to have a few laughs with and at the expense of the fictional Montalbano, you'll have a good time. If you decide to read the book, do so at the beach somewhere in August while you are enjoying perfect weather. You'll probably think this is a four-star book if you do.
Keep cool!
Book Review: Could inspector Montealbano be from another country?
Summary: 4 Stars
This review is part of a literary investigation: Does the national or cultural identity of the detective reflect the nation or culture in which he or she lives? With respect to behavior, mode of solving the mystery, political reflections, or idiosyncrasies? For inspector Montealbano, I believe, yes!
The story is imbedded in that type of criminality I - with all my prejudices and stereotypes - connect with Italy. The inspector himself is occasionally cheating and lying and being brutal (although he regrets it (p. 123). The story obviously has political messages, the inspector even reads Sjöwall & Wahlöö, the Swedish authors that write "justified attacks on social democracy", p. 118. And there are 5 pages of notes at the end that make references to Italian society. The mode of solving the mystery is probably traditional reasoning (Sherlock Holmes type) although the accompanying Dr. Watson is more intelligent than the original. However, this inspector would never be able to sole his mysteries from his home. The other characters in the story are believable, some on the border line, but then it is the borderline cases that supposedly inhabit mystery novels. Again resting on my prejudices about Italy, the characters could be typical of (Southern) Italy, probably not the Palestine - for example (Matt Rees). So, if I believe the atmosphere of the story, did I support my prejudices or did I support a real picture? (T. Walas.1995. Stereotypes and Nations.) I believe the latter.
I liked the story. The culprit was not the person I assumed, but the mystery's solution had a twist that was surprising to me. The inspector and his associates make funny jokes, but not more than comfortably. It is a book one would have liked to read in its original language
Book Review: Another great tale of Sicilian vexations
Summary: 4 Stars
Andrea Camilleri's latest Inspector Montalbano story has the Sicilian copper in trouble again with his girlfriend Livia and coping with a six-year old murder that comes with the seductive attentions of a 22-year old blonde bombshell. The story is set in a torrid mid-August when the town of Vigata is moving at a snail's pace, but the heat has set hormones racing and several cold showers a day are needed for more than one reason.
Montalbano's girlfriend Livia has come south for a visit with Genovese friends in tow. Their hilarious misadventures with a rented seaside villa lead to a far more serious mood as the body of a young girl is discovered in a hidden underground extension of the villa. Salvo's handling of the discovery of the body in turn leads to a falling out with Livia, who decamps in a snit for home with her friends.
Solving the mystery of the six-year old murder becomes Montalbano's purpose in life for the rest of the story. In his pursuit of the colorful collection of suspects, he eventually comes into very close contact with the murder victim's beautiful twin sister who seems to have a thing for middle-aged men. The Inspector tries to honor his commitment to longtime girlfriend Livia, but it's unbelievably hot, everyone is reduced to bikinis most of the day, and what's guy supposed to do with so much temptation thrown in his path. His decision to act will eventually come back to haunt him.
Author Camilleri has again assembled a wonderful cast of characters for this story and successfully evokes the summer atmosphere of his Mediterranean island which part of Italy, but not really Italian. This is a fun read and up to the high standard of most of Camilleri's books. Highly recommended.