Trick

TRICK

by Domenico Starnone

 

Nominations: National Book Finalist 2018, PEN/Translation Finalist 2019

 

Date Read: August 29, 2023

 

This beautiful novel is loosely paralleled to “The Jolly Corner” by Henry James as the Grandfather in this story also travels to his childhood home and begins to wonder what other paths his life could have taken. Currently living in Milan and tasked with illustrating this work by James, the Grandfather reluctantly agrees to return to Naples, his hometown, to watch his 4 year old grandson. His daughter and son-in-law need to attend a conference and, in his own words, get down to the business of serious fighting.

 

Grandfather, however, is ill-matched with Mario, his know-it-all grandson. Having completely forgotten what childhood entails, Grandfather is pestered every second of the day to play, draw, pretend, attend to physical needs, carry him, retrieve toys and, for a brief period, be locked out of the house and completely at the mercy of his grandson.

 

The aches and pains of age become acute. A disastrous call with his editor reduces Grandfather to almost debilitating self-doubt and contempt. And yet, in his grandson he’s sees the promise of the future, lingering aspects of his daughter, inherent aspects of the son-in-law he can’t stand and an innate artistic ability that he begins to envy.

 

Around every corner are also the lives he didn’t live. Who would he have been had he not been an illustrator? Where would his life be if he had stayed in Naples? These are the questions everyone asks themselves at some point, but they become more pronounced as he stays in his daughter’s house, the same house he grew up in.

 

True to the bone. Funny and poignant. A real gem.