Cazzarola!: Anarchy, Romani, Love, Italy by Norman Nawrocki

I've departed from my normal rule of having novels not only set in a country, but written by a native, but hey ho, this is my second Italian novel, so I'm not too worried. Norman Nawrocki is a Canadian comedian, sex educator, cabaret artist, musician, author, actor, producer and composer. Almost more pies than the average wallah has fingers. 

Cazzarola! is a family saga, zipping back and forth across the 20th century (and I think a little bit either side), following a lineage of anarchists as they navigate Italy's social history. It compares and contrasts the rise of Mussolini with the nouveau right of modern times, especially as it impacts the Romani population.

Long before I read Nawrocki's biography, I guessed he was involved with theatre, as in a lot of places the novel reads like a script. The characters tend to say everything that pops into their heads, and even when we get an internal monologue, it comes across as soliloquy, the naturalism of thought replaced by a quick patter. There is a far greater emphasis on what things look like, than how they feel. And on several occasions, groups of extras give a series of staccato single-line exclamations where the overall effect is given more precedence than authentic characterisation. 

But despite the lovey presentation, the novel is interesting. Nawrocki obviously knows the subject matter and delivers it with passion and conviction. The characters (despite being slightly superficial) are believable. And though it is obvious where his political sympathies lie, the right are not reduced to pantomime villains.

I would give this three and half stars, but there isn't a half star character, so ★★★☆☆ it is.