Involuntary Witness

Good simple review of the Italian legal system in an interesting story. The personal demons of the attorney are dealt with as well as some flavor of the region and Italian life. A well done story.

At first, I was amazed at the idea that a person can be charged with murder without any real evidence. As far as I could tell, the only evidence was: * Thiam haad met the boy on the beach, where he worked * Thiam had a Polaroid photo of himself with the boy (taken on the beach by the boy's grandfather) * Thiam (a former teacher) had some children's books on his shelves * A witness who believed "all niggers look alike" said he had seen Thiam in the area the day of the boy's disappearance The police didn't even bother to keep accurate transcripts of witness interviews! Then I remembered that in the not-so-distant past, an American court might have very well prosecuted a black man on equally flimsy evidence. The descriptions of the lawyer's strategy are fascinating. The politics of the situation are a minefield and Guerrieri has to tiptoe through it --which he does with great skill. An interesting point is that the author never tells us who did kill the boy. The emphasis is entirely on the trial. The author does, however, write very well, with wit and intelligence. The English translation gives a sense of the rhythm of the Italian language. Another interesting cultural note is that everyone in Italy seems to smoke incessantly.

Rather more information on the procedures of Italian justice than I wanted, but a great narrator, and the emotional content of his relationships - to his (ex)wife, his new lover, and to the accused - were well developed. The book has a satisfying although not unexpected ending. It's clear you don't want to be Sengalese and a transient vendor in Italy when a child disappears, but it's a story that could probably happen anywhere. An interesting book. Had it been an American/British murder mystery, we probably would have found out "who dun it" - if you need that, it's not here.

The author is a working criminal lawyer (an investigating magistrate, sort of like a cross between a DA and a judge, if I understand correctly). In any event, it's clear that he knows of what he speaks in this marvellous Italian trial procedural. Carofiglio has an acid wit, and the book is very amusing. I found the character development and the romance less interesting, as it was not captured as well as the criminal case. But that's not why one reads this sort of book, anyway.