‘A Private venus’ by Giorgio Scerbanenco - A review

First released back in 1966, ‘A private venus’ by Giorgio Scerbanenco stands up there as one of the quintessential Italian noir releases (certainly in English translation).

The novel is the first to feature disgraced former doctor Duca Lamberti, who after spending three years in prison for committing euthanasia, is hired by a plastic millionaire to cure his son, Daniele, of alcoholism.

The son is, by all appearances, like Michaelangelo’s David. Yet despite this, he is despondent, lonely and slowly killing himself and his father through the addiction. With few other options for income, Duca takes the job believing that it would be easy to wean the boy off alcohol, but the only way to ensure it lasts is to investigate and cure the cause of malady.

It is here through fast cars, loose women and plenty of booze that we discover a world of lost love, prostitution, trafficking and violence. And it soon becomes apparent to our former doctor that to cure Daniele, then he must solve the mystery behind the year-old suicide of Alberta Radelli.

The story moves at a decent pace, allowing for complications and revelations as Duca and Daniele work alongside the police and a friend of the deceased. But when things get dangerous, Duca is told to leave it alone, and he knows he should - but then Daniele would never get closure and justice would never be solved.

From the very beginning, we know Duca believes the end justifies the means (for example his performing of euthanasia) and he stays true to form as the stakes are raised and he puts others in danger in order to save many more. It is because of this trait that nearing the end, I was practically shouting at him to hurry. To forget his plans and just save who is in front of him. Not many books can elicit that sort of engagement..

‘A Private venus’ is a terrific introduction to both the author and Italian noir. It is cynical, bleak, violent and well-crafted. And while Scerbanenco is sometimes prone to pretentiously bloated vocabulary, inadvertently slowing down the pace, his brilliance lies in crafting compelling and expanding plots, utilising terrific little detail (such as the stamp shop) and creating the wonderful, complex character of Duca.

There aren’t many books by Giorgio Scerbanenco that are available in English, so make sure you read what there is.