Lottie Lomme
Last summer Sandro Veronesi won the European Literature Prize for his book Rare Earths. The sequel to the successful novel Calm Chaos. Incidentally, the film with Nanni Moretti of the latter book is almost as well-known as the book.
The book Calm Chaos tells the story of Pietro Palladini and his quest to resume life after the death of his wife. For days he parks his car at his daughter's school and does nothing. He feels no sadness and waits for it. 'Giving a place to things'. It's a platitude, but that's what this book was about. And the book did that well.
Rare Earths embroiders further
Part two, Rare Earths, elaborates on this. Although the story ostensibly begins with a whole series of confusing events that seem to be happening to Pietro. His life seems to be a play in which he plays a part. This part of the book is not really moving. Explanations are not forthcoming for a long time while the questions are not really clear.
Chaos again
So chaos again, but no calm this time. His trading partner has scammed Pietro and the widower ends up in all kinds of strange situations. After the death of his wife, Pietro moved from Milan to Rome, where he has built a new life very different from that of his previous life. His daughter, a small child in the first book, is now an adolescent. His elegant and dignified wife from his earlier life has given way to a Roman folk type with tattoos. His busy and well-paid job as a businessman has made way for the sale of lease cars.
Inner monologue
What remains is the interesting inner monologue, through which we get to know Pietro's psychology. I like that each chapter starts with a motto, a quote. This will nevertheless make you place the events of the chapter in the light of that motto. This creates a framework in which to place the events. It is an opportunity for understanding. Understanding of the difficult situations in which he finds himself and of the things he thinks and feels in them. But the mottos remain puzzling. Because they don't give unequivocal answers. Pietro Palladini is a cool, calculating type who doesn't live real life.
The jury justifies its decision as follows:
The jury praised the incredibly witty way in which Veronesi, often in an interior monologue, tells the story of the main character Pietro Palladino, whose feet crumble when, over the course of 24 hours, it turns out that nothing in his life is what it seemed to be. to be. Twisting long sentences, reflecting Palladini's inner panic and his abrupt dilemmas, alternate Veronesi – and last but not least his translator Rob Gerritsen – with pointed dialogues and passages that give the story momentum.
The last 100 pages
I struggled with the first 250 pages myself. It's all interesting enough to read through, but the story doesn't really pick up on speed and the events remain rather uneventful, despite the constant travel in the car from here to there and the most curious characters that appear on the scene. In the last 100 pages, however, the book comes into its own and connects the story with its predecessor. Things make sense again. The relationship with his daughter, the life of Pietro Palladini, the death of his wife. And then you understand that you also need those 250 pages for that.
Rare Earths
By: Sandro Veronesi (translated by Rob Gerritsen)
400 pages
price: € 19,95 (also available as an e-book)
Prometheus, March 2015
ISBN: 9789044628388
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