Title: The Disappearance of Signora Giulia
Author: Piero Chiara
Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo
Year published: 2015
ISBN: 9781782271048
Genre: fiction; mystery; Italian mystery; 1950s mystery
Pairs well with your favorite pasta dish,
crisp, white table linens,
and a strong Italian coffee.
The Disappearance of Signora Giulia by Piero Chiara is set in a small Italian town, near Milan, in the 1950s and is a mystery (as you might guess from the title). The volume is slim and a fairly quick and easy read, and perfect for a brief respite from reality.
In the book, Signora Giulia is a wealthy woman married to a much older man who is an established lawyer. Their daughter, Emilia, attends school in Milan and Giulia went to visit every Thursday. Early in the novel, we learn that Giulia has also been visiting a lover in Milan. But, one day she appears to leave for her weekly visit and never returns home. Where did she go? Did she run away on her own? Did she run off with her lover? The clues lead towards the lover, but it's not that simple. There are many questions that come up and a few competing motives.
Piero Chiara crafts a setting that you can easily see and place yourself into as you read -- you can feel the cobblestones of Italian streets and palazzos under your feet. You can picture big, heavy desks in the police and lawyers' offices. You can see the trees and lush landscaping of Signora Giulia's home. And, I greatly enjoyed the dialogue, carrying along the story.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this novel and found it just suspenseful enough to keep my interest without going overboard into convoluted tangents and false leads. At first, I was disappointed with the ending which is somewhat vague, but the more I sit with it, the more satisfied I am that the unclear ending was actually perfect. You are left to come to your own conclusions about a couple of suspects in Signora Giulia's disappearance, but at the same time, everything is tied together and makes sense, even without a definitive resolution. Normally, I would find this type of ending frustrating and I'd vow not to read another work by the author; however, in this case, Chiara put together his story in such a way that I think it works and I'm satisfied that I know what happened to our main character. I liked it enough, even with the ending, to look for further works by Chiara.
As I write this, we are in the middle of libraries and bookstores being closed due to Covid-19 racing across the United States and other parts of the world. I'd love for you to find the novel at your local library, but if you can't find it at your library or through your library's digital offerings, please try a local, independent bookstore -- they need your purchases more than ever if they are survive the massive financial losses of this pandemic. However, you can also try to get it from Amazon. Take your pick:
Many independent bookstores in the USA are offering shipping or curbside pickup even if their shops are closed due to the virus. PLEASE check with your favorite local independent shop before ordering from elsewhere.
If you are in the United Kingdom, you can order directly from the publisher (Pushkin Vertigo) HERE.
In the US:
-- Buy from Abe Books HERE.
-- Buy from Penguin Random House HERE (not an independent, but still better to buy direct or somewhat direct than through Amazon).
-- Buy from other independents HERE.
-- Support independent bookstores by getting the audiobook HERE.
If you really feel a commitment to Amazon, you can get the book HERE.
***This is an affiliate link and I may receive a small commission should you purchase from Amazon, but at no extra cost to you. As much as I'd love that, I still would rather you consider shopping independent first.
Have you read The Disappearance of Signora Giulia by Piero Chiara? Have you read anything else by him? If so, leave a comment with your thoughts.
