Trick

Description

Trick is a stylish drama about ambition, family, and old-age that goes beyond the ordinary and predictable. Imagine a duel between an elderly man and a mere boy. The same blood runs through their veins. One, Daniele Mallarico, is a successful illustrator whose reputation is slowly fading. The other, Mario, is his four-year-old grandson. Daniele has been living in a cold northern city for years, in virtual solitude, focusing obsessively on his work, when his daughter asks if he would come to Naples for a few days and babysit Mario while she and her husband attend a conference. Shut inside his childhood home - an apartment in the center of Naples that is filled with the ghosts of Mallarico's past - grandfather and grandson match wits as Daniele heads toward a reckoning with his own ambitions and life choices. Outside the apartment, pulses Naples, a wily, violent, and passionate city whose influence can never be shaken. 'Lahiri's translation preserves the poignancy and humor of the first-person narration, which balances compassion and repressed irritation.' - Publishers Weekly 'I think Domenico is the finest Italian living writer.' - Jhumpa Lahiri in Entertainment Weekly 'Engrossing' - The Sunday Times 'A stark meditation on art, ambition and failure.' - BBC 'TRICK has all the coherence and intensity of a classic two-hand play... [T]he book seems to unfold right before you-the voice so lucid and urgent...' - Literary Hub 'Deceptively simple, the novel is also witty to the point of hilarity (see Mario's argument with his grandpa about cartoons) and achingly moving.' - Kirkus, starred review 'Recounting the bare facts of the story fails to reveal the wonderful interweaving of rage and tenderness that propels the narrative...A book for grandparents to read as school holidays approach: a warning and a lesson in ultimate forbearance.' - Peter Stupples, Otago Daily Times 'Trick is fantastic - savage and funny and weirdly profound. A little masterpiece.' - Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You

Domenico Starnone was born in Naples and lives in Rome. He is the author of thirteen works of fiction, including First Execution (Europa, 2009), Via Gemito, winner of Italy's most prestigious literary prize, the Strega, and Ties (Europa, 2017), a New York Times Editors' Pick and Notable Book of the Year, and a Sunday Times and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. Jhumpa Lahiri is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of interpreter of Maladies. Her books include The Namesake, Unaccustomed Earth, The Lowland, and, most recently, In Other Words, an exploration of language and identity. She is the translator of Starnone's Ties.

"Superb." * Washington Post * "One of Italy's most accomplished novelists spins a wonderful story about an elderly illustrator and his four-year-old grandson." -- Tim Parks * The Guardian * "Trick is a chillingly weird chamber piece - a very tricksy treat." * The Times * "Starnone echoes James throughout, with ghoulish hallucinations, and piercing insights into identity and the shifting perceptions of ageing." * BBC Culture * "Starnone packs a huge amount into a small compass." * The Sunday Times * "A sharp observation of two unlikely rivals matching wits and a trenchant analysis of aging, family and art, this deliciously addictive novel is a treat to read." * Book Riot * "Astute and emotionally precise... this remarkably layered work encourages rereading to unearth new and subtle interpretations." * Publishers Weekly *