An intriguing page-turner with depth and credibility…
The Gringo of Ravenna offers a chance for the reader to get lost in charming streets of small medieval towns of Italy. The book opens with Marcos, a US Navy sailor and an aesthetician at heart, travelling around medieval towns of Italy to get Dough, his navy colleague, return to their naval base in Naples after the latter decided to skip his duties suddenly and went on to explore the country while fighting his dark demons. As Marcos’s journey progresses, inexplicable things start to happen which makes him question his own sanity and sanity of those around him. By the time, the journey that started from Procida takes Marcos to Ravenna, a bizarre revelation forces Marcos to attempt something shocking that will forever change not only his own destiny but makes Dough fall to an appalling fate. Grace’s elegant prose stretches out with rich imagination and an old-world elegance, and his characterization shines. Marcos is endearing with his love for culture and his rich knowledge of literature. Readers will find it easy to sympathize with him and identify with his all-too-human fragilities. The ancillary characters (there are quite a few of them), some of them transitory whom Marcos meets in passing and other permanent who stay throughout the book, are well-drawn. The novel offers a high adventure despite its exploration of the morbid themes of paranoia, delusions, and supernatural elements. From Procida to Napoli to Capua to Ravello to Ercolana and several other towns including Roma, Vanezia and finally to the peaceful waters of Lake Como in Bellagio, Grace takes the reader on an exhilarating journey which is both marvellous and magical. Grace creates his remarkable multi-places settings with an expert hand: Italy full of centuries old architectural marvels is transfixing in its full glory. The endearing small towns with their cobbled streets, the charming medieval castles, and magnificent churches are portrayed in intricate details and will make readers want to visit the country. While the story offers readers the escape they crave, it is also a story of imprisonment of one’s mind. Equal parts intriguing and suspenseful, the plot unfolds gradually, with constant suspense at the back, merging delusions with supernatural elements. Intriguing quotes of world-famous authors will delight morally serious fans of literature. Intriguing and interesting, the book will appeal to fans of literary as well as dark fiction.
