Look me in the Eye

Well, this slim volume is absolutely a one-sitting read, with translator Richard Thomson’s simple, flawless English conveying all the finely tuned energies and complexities of Sílvia Soler’s prize-winning Catalan novel Mira’m als ulls. Blanca is translating into Catalan a debut novel by Sicilian writer Matteo Spadaro. The novel tells the tale of Bruna, a devoted wife and mother who becomes convinced that her surgeon husband, Massimo, is having an affair with one of his colleagues. Massimo repeatedly denies her accusations, and Bruna no longer knows whether to trust her intuition or accept that she has become an obsessive neurotic. As she translates Bruna’s story, Blanca becomes identified with the fictional heroine’s emotions and begins, for the first time, to doubt the love and fidelity of her own husband, Raimon. In the grip of suspicion, both women betray their personal integrity by committing their own deceits – trying to catch their men out, rifling through pockets and drawers, watching for the slightest physical cue in response to a carefully plotted question. Whether they find anything or not, the result is the same. Their sense of identity is shaken and their sanity feels fragile. The truth, either way, is going to be painful to deal with. It is, of course, an age-old story but the multi-layering of Look Me in the Eye gives this version an arresting psychological depth. It is a book within a book; a translation within a translation. There are characters in search of an author and, more sinisterly, an author in search of characters. Who is Matteo Spadaro? Look Me in the Eye is one of those rare delights – a page-turner that really makes you think. — Suzy Ceulan Hughes @ www.gwales.com