My Brother is an Only Child by Antonio Pennacchi

My Brother is an Only Child by Antonio Pennacchi
Buy My Brother is an Only Child by Antonio Pennacchi at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: General Fiction
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: Rather than the family story which the back cover of the book would lead you to expect there's a concentration on politics which left me cold.
Buy? Maybe	Borrow? Maybe
Pages: 352	Date: April 2008
Publisher: Revolver Books
ISBN: 978-1905978069
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It was a large family, partly because Mussolini gave a prize for every child born, and partly because Accio's father enjoyed producing children, so when Accio returned from the Seminary there wasn't a lot of space. He had to share with Otello and Manrico whilst the two youngest girls shared with their parents. Two older girls had already left home. What to do with Accio became, and would remain, a regular problem, but Accio had his own ideas and politics eventually came to dominate his life. Manrico takes a similar road, but unsurprisingly is usually at the other end of the political spectrum.

I've always said that it's a mistake to read the blurb on the back of a book, but few are quite as misleading as this one. In the Italian small-town life of the 60s and 70s, the two brothers with their opposing political beliefs fall in love with the same woman and are drawn apart. I was expecting what might loosely be termed a family saga but what I got was fifteen years of the minutiae of Italian politics – and local politics at that.

In fairness the early part of the book which tells of Accio's time in the Seminary was fascinating reading with the lives of the Brothers and his fellow students told from Accio's point of view. With his love of Latin translation and enjoyment of his lessons it's unsurprising that the priests didn't want to let him return home. Accio wanted to continue to study Latin but he wasn't to have his way – the family enrolled him to learn a trade. Lacking enthusiasm (or even a great deal of interest) for the subject local politics exerted a greater pull on him.

The politics were tedious in the extreme to me. I've a broad interest in the subject but lengthy paragraphs with little else but descriptions of meetings, strikes and minor scuffles did little to lighten the mood. With a real interest in the subject it might be different, but even then the story lacked pace and the telling was rather flat. It wasn't until we reached the final chapter that I began to feel any excitement in the story.

The story is told by Accio so Manrico is seen only through his eyes and Accio is self-obsessed and dominates the story. The women in the story have only walk-on parts and even then the only one who has any depth is Accio and Manrico's mother.

If you are interested in politics and particularly Italian politics then this could be just the book for you, but I'm afraid it was a trial for me.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

For another book about politics and family we can recommend The Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher.

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