The Goodbye Kiss

Oh my, this is a nasty little book. An ex-revolutionary cuts a deal and turns himself into the authorities. He is eventually let go, and begins a five-year process of "rehabilitation." During these five years, he works in a strip club, commits rape, bribery, robbery and murder, all on the path to becoming a respectable member of society. A winner.

Carlotto is an Italian writer with a seemingly mean-spirited view of the world. This book is certainly comparable to works of American noir like Cain's POSTMAN, but it is also capable of some more thought-provoking moments and a level of subtlety that POSTMAN never really demonstrated.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable, if quite unsettling read.

One thing you can say about the books of Massimo Carlotto is that they will make you feel better about your life, because nothing that's ever happened to me holds a candle to an ordinary day in the life of Mr. Carlotto's protagonists. In this outing we meet gleeful psychopath Giorgio Pellegrini, who prances from one trainwreck to the next but always comes off without a scratch. The one-time revolutionary is back on the scene after a stint in prison and all he wants is respectability. But to get it, he's willing and able to indulge in all manner of bloody, violent, nasty shenanigans. Turn off your inner feminist and come along for the ride! See my full review: show more target="_top">http://www.bostonbibliophile.com/2012/04/review-goodbye-kiss-by-massimo-carlotto... show less

In netto contrasto con altri commenti, che decantano la superiorità de Il fuggiasco e del ciclo dell'Alligatore , secondo me questo è il capolavoro di Massimo Carlotto. Una scrittura aspra e perfetta, degna di un grande autore quale - sempre secondo me - è diventato proprio con questo romanzo. E il titolo è, semplicemente, geniale.

Another book that I just can't seem to finish. Pick it up, put it down, pick it up, put it down, pick it up, put in down. Time to move on.

Noir estremamente noir. Consigliato solo agli amanti del genere. L'autore cala il lettore nella mente di un individuo emarginato (terrorista dalla motivazione poco profonda) che non sogna altro che la riabilitazione agli occhi della società, a qualsiasi prezzo.

Bel noir. Meglio il film. E' un'eccezione perche di solito sono meglio i libri dei film da cui sono tratti. A meno che i film siano qualche cosa di diverso dai libri che li hanno ispirati, come nel caso dei film di Stanley Kubrik. Barry Lindon è tanto bello come il romanzo di Takery.