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Rating: Bari, early 2000s. Guido is a lawyer who finds himself at a dead end in his life: drifting from one case to another, from one relationship to the next, meeting friends he does not remember knowing and couldn't care less about, and continuously thinking about his ex-wife Sara. Until he is offered a case that seems already lost from the start: Guido will have to defend a young Senegalese man accused of murdering an eight-year-old child, and all the evidence seems to be against him. Perhaps because of the trust placed in him, or perhaps because he realizes he can't sink any lower, Guido will fight for this impossible cause and become attached to the case, overstepping and risking more and more.
A sparse legal thriller with a distinctly noir style, yet set in a time and place anachronistic to this type of novel. Guido seems tired of life, sparing no sarcasm or reflections, constantly shifting from present to past and never fully opening up to the reader. The descriptions of the secondary characters are essential and incisive, providing no unnecessary details or particulars to the plot but helping to focus on their brief appearances.
The only flaws (I know you'll call me picky, but if I don't find some flaw in a novel, I can't sleep at night) are the somewhat predictable ending, which I would have preferred to be a bit more rational given this impossible case, and the rather lengthy final speech.
Nevertheless, the uniform style of a gritty urban reality told without frills makes it an excellent novel for noir enthusiasts, myself included.
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