Today I'm presenting this book that was a true discovery for me. It has introduced me to a new world, which is something to be said, given that I live in a location by the sea... Anyway, it was interesting to learn something about boats and sailing, in an ambient that seems on the border between the world of pirates and that of ordinary people.
Title: Nefarious: A novel
Author: Antonio J. Hopson
The
novel is set in the scenario of a non professional boat race lasting a week.
Most characters are rough sailors, looking for a good time, away from everyday
life, fully immersed in alcohol, sex and fun. Nonetheless, within the
kaleidoscope of characters pictured by the author, there is also space for
love, poetry and a reflection upon the significance of life.
I
am not passionate about boats and I am not familiar with the boating
environment, so it took me a little while before being able to dive into the
narration, also because I have very little in common with many of the people
populating the story. However, my perseverance has paid off. In fact, this book
has many layers and many stories interweaving. The action is carried on by
everything happening during the daily races, the rivalry between the two
stronger skippers, the side stories of the various fleet members. There is also
the precarious love story between the indomitable pit-girl and the romantic
writer. But my attention was stolen by three characters in particular: the two
tacticians, Ortun and Kevin Jonson and, of course, the devil. Kevin Jonson represents
mystery, what is ancestral, immutable and powerful, regardless of all the
transient and trivial everyday situations. Ortun represents poetry, music,
grace. He is the depth of the ocean and the lightness of a feather. While the
devil needs living beings beside him, to fill his eternal hollowness, Kevin
Jonson and Ortun are whole, they are one with all the existent, therefore they
stand above the circumstances in which they choose to act. The devil is a
masterpiece. The author makes a truly original portrait of this figure. He
features as himself, relating to the people around him in the most natural way.
There is nothing threatening surrounding him; of course, some prefer to keep
him at a distance, avoid his ambiguity. Nonetheless, I would say that more than
cunning he displays a sort of cynical sense of humour which is rather
enjoyable, especially when it is considered in the light of his inner
speculations, about his own nature and the nature of his dealings with living
beings. This philosophical/psychological aspect of the book is the one I
prefer. I delight in stories exploring the essence of things and the inner
thoughts of people, and in this novel I found some valuable pages to kindle my
interest, pages that are also written in a very poetical style. One of the
passages I have preferred is the conversation between the devil and a
snowflake, a moving sparkle to ignite a reflection upon the intimate value of
beauty and the overwhelming power of life. Another memorable passage comes at
the end, in the last conversation
between the devil and Dan, the skipper of Nefarious. I leave it for you
to read and enjoy.
I would like to conclude this review with a recommendation: read this
book at least twice. It is a complex book, not a simple and linear one. There
is so much to it, the language is rich and there are many characters to be
discovered, besides a little final riddel. Too much to be fully taken in during
the first read. Follow my advice and you’ll see there are some gems to be found
here.
