“An army of pins. On the fingers and toes. On the surface of the skin. Inside the eyes. The chill. I hear again in my ears that dirge I began to hear when I returned for the second time.
In tenebris Rex Mortuorum. In tenebris Rex Mortuorum.”
A chill runs through the calli shrouded in the darkness of a sudden blackout. The water of the lagoon is tinged with blood. A mysterious hand dispenses death among the canals of Venice, as swarms of unsuspecting students try to navigate their way through the darkness that progress has long banished from our cities. The Rex Mortuorum is at work, but even he cannot imagine what fate has in store for his future. Two stories wind parallel through the calli of a blinded Venice, only to intersect in a totally unexpected and shocking way, linked by a trail of blood that cannot be interrupted, for any reason.
Roberto Taddio offers excellent evidence of his narrative talent, bringing to life a short novel (or long story, as you prefer) effectively set on one of the world's most fascinating stages. The very Italian Venice, deprived of light and framed from an unusual perspective, becomes the scene of an enthralling, disturbing affair in which the everyday life of the university town is shattered by the ferocity of an implacable executioner.
Taddio's style is dry, clean and flowing, effective in rendering the two different narrative voices, appropriate for a short novel to be read in one breath. The pace of the narrative grows page by page and, feeding on the alternation of the two points of view, allows the reader to enter the psyche of the two protagonists until the surprising final twist.
Edizioni Il Foglio - coll. Instant Book - pp. 52 - price 5.00 euro
Reviewed by Marco Zolin
