Loved this read, glad to see the cover was kept from the Italian version! I know the area so it was cool to read about it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my feedback.

An excellent Italian novella set in Rome in the early 2000s dealing with the difficult topic of immigration in a humorous way.

Each chapter contains a police interview with one of the colourful inhabitants of an apartment building on Piazza Vittorio, because one of their co-inhabitants has been killed in the elevator. The interviewees give us their perspective on the problems with the elevator, the problems between flatmates and the problems in general with Italy and immigration. And they always talk about the fantastically kind and much loved Amedeo who, incredibly, is accused of the murder and on top rumoured to not be a real Italian! We hear from Amedeo in alternating chapters.

This setup is effective in maintaining tension but the book should not be read as a murder mystery. It is first and foremost a novel about immigration. I lived in Rome during the time in which the novel is set and I recognised many of the conversations I had and many of the cultural references to film and TV and to politics. Immigration in Italy is a huge topic and, as everywhere, opinions diverge enormously. The book intelligently compares different waves of immigration (including Southern Italians to the North and to US and how they were treated there) and gives you the perspectives both of the immigrants (themselves a very diverse group from Iran, Pakistan, Netherlands, Peru, Bangladesh who are nevertheless all basically treated in the same way, namely as outsiders) and the 'real' Italians who are actually a very diverse bunch themselves. Because what are real Italians? It is still a very young country.

The book also makes broader points on identity, building a new life in a multiethnic society, how to deal with the past and what parts of your own culture to keep.

It is too short and fast paced to dive deeply into these topics, bit nevertheless a very interesting novella, very easy to read, and one that would be great as as a bookclub pick (especially for an Italian bookclub).

3.5 rounded to 4. As stated in the blurb, this is a »mix of social satire and murder mystery.«. I can imagine that this novel could be even funnier in the original language, Italian. But unfortunately, my knowledge of the Italian language is not good enough.

Lorenzo Manfredini, the Gladiator, was found murdered near the elevator in an apartment building in Piazza Vittorio. Most residents in the building are immigrants from different countries. But we get to know also northern and southern Italians, and we can see some distinctions in their characters. Interestingly, we also learn how some northern Italians see southern Italians. The story constantly develops around a character named Amedeo, a guy from the south with perfect knowledge of the Italian language and the streets of Rome. He often helps immigrants with their issues. Each chapter presents the thoughts of one of the characters, and entries from Amedeo’s diary follow those chapters. Of course, each character sees things and people differently.

Readers who like literary fiction that blends with a comical cozy mystery could like this novel. I would recommend some knowledge about Italian culture and history. Otherwise, prepare Wikipedia to understand some details mentioned in the novel.

Thanks to Europa Editions UK for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

Lorenzo Manfredini, a thug who goes by the moniker The Gladiator, is found dead in the elevator of an apartment building on Piazza Vittorio in Rome. On the same day, a man called Amedeo goes missing, a fact which, in the police’s books, makes him the prime – if not the obvious suspect. Amara Lakhous’ novel – winner of the prestigious Premio Flaiano when it was first published in Italian in 2006 – consists of transcripts of brief police interviews with people who knew Manfredini and Amedeo, interspersed with diary-like entries by the mysterious, elusive Amedeo himself. The interviews provide an insight into the kaleidoscope of cultures which collides in central Rome. Indeed, the subject of the novel is not primarily the fairly tame whodunnit which propels the narrative forward, but the theme of immigration, race and multiculturalism. We learn of the tribulations of foreign immigrants, but also of the inherent racism of such individuals as the Neapolitan concierge Benedetta, even while she is herself looked down upon by Northerners who have settled in the city. Eventually, we discover that Amedeo – taken for an Italian by most of the “witnesses” – is also an immigrant with a poignant past.

Clash of Civilisations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio is an enjoyable, often humorous, sometimes moving novel, well rendered in Ann Goldstein’s translation. That said, considering the depth of the themes it addresses, I found it rather superficial. The interrogations are not long enough to really allow us to delve into the character of the interviewees, who are often portrayed as something of a caricature – the Romanista bar owner, the Milanese snob, the racist Neapolitan. The solution to the mystery is underwhelming, if not downright silly. However, this bittersweet novel doesn’t outstay its welcome, and provides an authentic (and, for some, possibly surprising) view on contemporary Italy.

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2022/06/Clash-of-Civilizations-Elevator-Piazza-Vittorio-Amara-Lakhous.html

I enjoyed reading this short book, finishing it in less a day. A body is discovered in the titular elevator and at the same time a man called Ameleo disappears. The police think he is the culprit and every chapter is the perspective of a different neighbour. The voices are unique and, while not all are likeable, the author has written with compassion for all his characters. The murder mystery has a satisfying conclusion.