WorldInColour

'Quiet Chaos'. I really loved the premise of this book. After the death of his wife, Pietro Paladini decides to spend his days next to the school of his daughter Claudia. It starts out as a joke, but turns into a very serious desire to stay there. Subsequently, Pietro's family and colleagues start showing up, and they show themselves to be very open-hearted.

A lot can be said about Pietro Paladini. Some readers can't stand his behaviour, apparently. This is where the book becomes a matter of opinion. Is Pietro really suffering, or is he just an inconsiderate Italian macho who just happens to find himself in a situation that requires some emotional capabilities? I would personally have preferred the latter, and I feel as if Veronesi did as well. You can say his decision to take a break from his own life and guard his daughter's school is a result of trauma, and I'm sure you'd find arguments to back that statement. (Freud, bla bla bla, detachment, the usual.) I don't want to believe it though! Not every protagonist has to be perfect.

Whichever version you prefer, it doesn't really matter much when you read the final pages. The end shows Veronesi's true intentions, but whether that's a good or a bad thing, I'm not sure. I felt as if this book had some fantastic passages, but didn't really succeed to come across as a whole. Apart from these small inconsistencies; some great writing here, and definitely worth your time.