I really enjoyed reading this book, though I was a bit uneasy when I discovered it seemed, at first, to be a series of short stories. It is and it isn't, as they all revolve around a group of people who work at at English newspaper in Rome, a seemingly arbitrary setting for a series of short stories or novel. But, each story glimpsed a short period in the life of one of those connected to the newspaper, whether the owner, Cyrus Ott, who founded the newspaper, or his grandson, Oliver Ott, who put it to death. In between we meet the editor, the obituary writer, the CFO, the reader, the disgruntled foreign correspondent, among those depicted in the book. It was not much of an idea book, no earth shaking insights into the human condition other than the utter humanity, the frailties as well as compassion, of humankind. Each story alluded to other characters, so you began to see the way each touched or influenced the others. All had their problems and conflicts, some solved (very few), most not. Life ultimately does not satisfy if you live long enough...everything ends, one's job, relationships, lives, the way of all things, I suppose. But each character seemed life like, real, genuine, and interesting in their own way, as each life IS if carefully looked at, as Rachmann does. He is the master of the understated, the otiose, the surprise ending, which seems just right, in retrospect. I did not want it to end. He reminds me of Jhumpa Lahiri, how I was overwhelmed by her stories, their sadness and tone, in the INTERPRETER OF MALADIES. Both write so well, see wonder in the everyday, and love their characters despite their flaws. I can see why it's gotten such good reviews.
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