Unsworth's writing is so lovely that it was easy to fall into After Hannibal but midway I was thinking of giving it up. It takes place in Tuscany where there are five homes on a rural road. In each case we learn of deceptions that are or have taken place against the occupants. Three of the five are outsiders; Americans, British, and German. And then there is the lawyer who takes advantage of them all again.

I eventually browsed the last fifty pages, it was just too cynical for me. Unsworth was British and lived in Umbria late in his life causing some reviewers to claim that this was based on his Tuscan experiences. Maybe so, on the last page he writes "But the real thief of dreams was generally not the one you feared but the one you trusted. ( )

The novel centers around a country road which serves several homes in the Umbrian countryside. We get to know something about the people in each of the five households on the road, along with a few outsiders they come in contact with. Several of the houses are owned by people who are from other countries (a German, an English couple, a pair of American retirees), and the final two are occupied by Italians. Drama kicks off in the beginning with the collapse of part of the wall along the road, which the farmers on the corner insist was caused by trucks going to the English couple's house. Meanwhile, the Americans are dealing with some unsavory business practices in the repair and remodeling of their dream home, and various domestic intrigues play out in different households.

The "male gaze" as a filter for the observance of women is a well-known concept; I think that similarly there is a "foreign gaze" through which Italy is often observed. (I have no doubt it happens to other countries as well, but Italy seems to be so idealized, particularly by Americans.) Unsworth does a great job of presenting that here. An example from early in the book, from the point of view of the British wife: "She felt guilty at feeling like this about them [the farmers expecting them to repair the wall], as they were contadini, peasants, and therefore very authentic people and by definition admirable." For a while I felt like Unsworth might have swung too far the other way in making the Italians overall not very nice or trustworthy people, but in the end I think it ended up, if not balanced, at least with some positives.

Bottom line: There is more of a culture gap than you might think from vacationing in the large cities and going to museums. Also, Italy is not the answer to your dreams. (Note: apparently this was partially based on Unsworth's own experiences settling in the area of Perugia. He did stay in the country until he died, though, so apparently it worked out for him.) ( )