The Crossroads
by Niccolo Ammaniti
Canongate HK$143
In the chilling opening scene of this novel, a 13-year-old boy trudges through the snow to shoot the barking dog that has been keeping his father awake at night. From there things just turn weird.
Niccolo Ammaniti, a rising star of horror, is again turning his pen to the secret life of Italy's small towns. The Crossroads is set in Varrano, an indistinguishable hamlet on the vast industrial plains of northern Italy. Here forests serve as the backdrop for outlet malls and the residents are praying for an economic recovery, none more so than our heroes, 'the only residents living on less than 600 euros a month'.
There is Rino Zena, a middle-aged neo-Nazi whose love for country and violence is surpassed only by his devotion as a single father to 13-year-old Cristiano. Joining him in unemployment are his mates Danilo Aprea and Quattro Formaggi, a half-wit named after his favourite pizza topping. Together they while away the hours sipping grappa to the flicker of reality television and concocting a plan to lift themselves out of poverty: a daring ATM robbery.
