The Public Image, April in Spain and The Black Dress

 

A typically satirical and surreal story from this writer. Annabel Christopher is a minor film actress ( I cannot say star), in Rome for a new movie. There are what we would call minor upsets which seem to be blown up out of proportion due to maintaining "her public image" if that was ever needed. Her husband Frederick is a strange character. Many film stars do well from bad publicity. But somehow we are drawn into the tension that is created by these non events. There are huge amounts of dialogue, a lot of which is quite obtuse. It seems to be for the reader to fill in the gaps. Some of the story is set in the Piazza Navona where they dine in the square. This reminded me of our visit to Rome where we had dinner outside a restaurant in what maybe the exact same spot.

When I checked my review for "Snow", the previous John Banville story in this series, I found the following summary: "I have never read anything like it before and have no wish to do so again". So I'm unsure why I picked "April in Spain". However it was not the unsavory story of the last book. In fact it was mainly a fine drama as pathologist Quirke goes on holiday to San Sebastian in Spain with this wife Evelyn. And that's about it for 200 pages. Just wonderfully written prose with a little mystery built in. Quirke's niece Phoebe becomes involved as do some individuals at the top of Ireland's government, and a hitman. Nothing violent until the very end. This, for me, is John Banville back to his best.

My eighth novel from Deborah Moggach and I thought her weakest. Her books are normally light and witty and I read them for a change from heavier material. But this one had too many blockbuster twists that dominate an otherwise interesting story of a seventy year old widow visiting funerals where she might find a bereaved widower. "As so often with funerals, the atmosphere was surprisingly cheerful". Of course she first ends up at the wrong funeral. Pru lives alone in a big house in Muswell Hill: "entirely populated by smug couple leading enviable lives".

At breakneck speed we rush through some humorous episodes as some short lived relationships cruise past. So far so fine. Pru's friend Azra has a lot to answer for, but Pru deserves her. But then the twists become more and more crazy. In fact it became quite tawdry as the revelations about Pru finally surface. As ever, it is reasonably well written, but I prefer her early books.