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Rating:
One of the most distressing and chilling books I have ever read. And to say that I've read several disturbing novels. But the person who wrote the foreword was right: chilling. To the point that in certain passages it's difficult to move forward without being distracted by the evocative power of the nightmares described.
Released quietly a few months ago, "In the Penumbra of the Demon" consists of two distinct parts written with different approaches. The first part is a kind of diary of dream notes, where the author records reflections on the relationship between conscious reality and dreams and narrates, in the form of brief reports, various dreams and nightmares. The second part is a long interlocking story that builds tensions and dreamlike distortions. And it is especially this second section, titled Dark Glimmer, that turns out to be the most engaging and effective.
I do not hide my particular interest in De Caroli, who has already given me great emotions as a musician with his most famous albums (Deca - Simbionte). And from this book (written over a rather long period) his attitudes towards a visionary conception of art are crystal clear, as well as the strong ties between his ability to captivate with sounds and his extraordinary descriptive skill. Beyond the fact that his writing is fluid, immediate, precise, the narration is captivating from the very first lines, and particularly in the second part, it lands its best strikes when you least expect it.
Some episodes from the dream diary are a bit sketchy, and their impact fades quickly. It's obvious that it's not always easy to remember and note down a dream. However, the latent presence of death and fear dominates the entire journey and at times instills disturbing doubts about our vision of reality (the episode with the bull, the one with the experimental video game, the exceptional one with the nun with the sugar dove). Certainly more cohesive is Dark Glimmer, which strings the various nightmares together seamlessly and has unprecedented peaks of fright and anxiety (the train episode, the one in the hospital, and obviously the finale).
Well-packaged book, outside mainstream editorial circuits, it has a normal price and is also available on the internet (where I purchased it).
Highly discouraged for the impressionable, those with weak stomachs, and those who fear the presence of demons in their bed.
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