The passion of the silent avenger
The Passion of the silent avenger (original title: La pazienza del ragno , literally: The patience of the spider) is a crime novel by the Italian writer Andrea Camilleri , which was published in 2004 by Sellerio Editore . The German translation by Christiane von Bechtolsheim was published by Lübbe in 2006 .
It is the eighth novel in a successful series of crime novels with the character of Commissario Montalbano, all of which are set in Sicily, in the fictional town of Vigata (pseudonym for Porto Empedocle ). It was filmed in 2006 by the television station Radiotelevisione Italiana with Luca Zingaretti in the leading role. Directed by Alberto Sironi .
In this book, Camilleri shows for the first time the human weakness of his main character, who chooses not to betray the culprit of a crime in order to be at peace with himself.
action
The Passion of the Silent Avenger begins with Salvo Montalbano, a successful Sicilian commissioner who is recovering in hospital from a gunshot wound sustained in his last case ( The Cold Smile of the Sea ). Although he has not fully recovered, he is already busy with the next case, the kidnapping of a girl.
The case of the missing Susanna Mistretta leads Montalbano to Vigàta. There he meets the girl's family. They used to be very wealthy, but they have lost everything within the family. Parents Giulia and Salvatore, Salvatore's brother Carlo and Giulia's brother Antonio are the other main characters in the novel. Antonio is the secret antagonist because although he never speaks, he is always present. Carlo explains the family history to Montalbano, he explains how Antonio has appropriated a lot of money from Giulia's family. For this reason, the couple has a big argument with Antonio, which divides the siblings and plunges Giulia into a deep depression from which she no longer recovers and from which she ultimately succumbs.
Susanna has disappeared and Montalbano is looking for clues that could lead to her rescue. A lead leads to Antonio's lawyer. He admits that the kidnappers contacted them immediately after the crime and demanded money, which the wealthy Antonio was willing to pay the next day, but the kidnappers did not contact them. Antonio deposited the money in a suitcase, but when Montalbano looked, he found a bag with scraps of paper. Montalbano returns and confronts the lawyer, who confirms that banknotes were really left behind. Montalbano believes him, but the public has already found their culprit in Antonio.
When Susanna suddenly and unexpectedly reappears, the case is solved for the police. Montalbano continues his investigation and finds the real culprits, Susanna and Carlo. The two had planned the whole kidnapping in order to put Antonio in a bad light and to get revenge on him. However, Montalbano gives them a second chance and does not reveal it to the police.
interpretation
In this novel there is a Commissioner Montalbano who feels very tired and old, is depressed by his private life and is in a bad mood. The book contains many allusions to and indirect criticism of contemporary Italian politics, especially that of Berlusconi. As in all other novels in the Montalbano series, Sicilian culture and language play a major role in The Passion of the Silent Avenger . While the rest of the novels focus on the actual plot, this book is all about the inspector's feelings, which makes the work an atypical detective novel. There are also many references to other books, e.g. Eg on Ovid's Metamorphoses , Sciascias Il consiglio d'Egitto and above all Simenon's Les Fiançailles de M. Hire (2003), in which, as here, public opinion is very important. Il consiglio d'Egitto is one of Montalbano's favorite novels that has accompanied him since his youth. Montalbano remembers an excerpt from Ovid's Metamorphoses (Arachne) when, in a daydream, he sees a spider that turns into the culprit in front of him. Hence the Italian org title La pazienza del ragno , which literally means the patience of the spider . Simenon's Les Fiançailles de M. Hire , which Montalbano accidentally falls into the hands of, helps in a certain way to resolve the case, since Montalbano sees the connection between the book and his case.
Characters
- Commissioner Montalbano - main character of the novel
- Inspector Augello - head of the investigation
- Susanna Mistretta - kidnapping victim and daughter of Salvatore and Giulia Mistretta
- Salvatore Mistretta - father of Susanna and brother of Carlo
- Giulia Mistretta - mother of Susanna and sister of Antonio
- Antonio Peruzzo - brother of Giulia and prime suspect in the kidnapping case
- Carlo Mistretta - doctor and brother of Salvatore
- Avvocato Luna - Antonio's lawyer
- Angela di Bartolome - farmer who helps Montalbano with the investigation
- Livia - friend of Montalbano
- Fazio - friend and colleague of Montalbano
- Francesco Lipari - friend of Susanna
- Pippo Ragonese - Televigàta journalist, contact person for the kidnappers
expenditure
- Andrea Camilleri: The passion of the silent avenger: Commissario Montalbano has reached its limits . Ed. Lübbe, translation by Christiane von Bechtolsheim, Bergisch Gladbach 2006, ISBN 3785715811
- Andrea Camilleri: La pazienza del ragno . Sellerio Editore, Palermo 2004, ISBN 88-389-1998-4