The First True Lie by Marina Mander

Published in Italy in 2011; published by Crown/Hogarth on January 21, 2014

Luca and his mother have lived an isolated life. It was a fun life when Luca's mother was happy but she was more often depressed and withdrawn, unable to overcome a loneliness for which her anti-social nature was partly responsible. Luca is a kid with issues, including his well-founded fear that his mother, who won't wake up, has died and made him an orphan. His unknown father is long-gone and his mother's attempts to find a replacement have only resulted in a string of noisy bedroom encounters with men who are unworthy contenders for the role. With nowhere to turn, Luca is on his own -- except for a cat named Blue and his sexually active Star Wars action figures. While he must decide what to do about his motionless mother, he is certain that it is best not to tell anyone because he has heard stories about orphanages and he doesn't want to end up living in one, particularly if he can't bring Blue.

Luca is foul-mouthed in a funny, almost silly sort of way. Telling his story in the first person and claiming to be in love with words (particularly those that will hasten his journey to adulthood), he is far more eloquent than a child would ordinarily be. I regard that as a plus. Luca is a chronicler of obscure facts (like the rate of hair growth). He is also an astute observer of adult life. He doesn't understand much of it, but then, who does?

Despite its gruesome subject matter, there is a sweetness and innocence to this story of childhood tragedy that makes it easy to digest. Marina Mander also incorporates a fair amount of humor, mined from Luca's active imagination and pithy observations of adult life. This is ultimately a coming of age (prematurely) story as Luca learns to overcome fear. The novel's chief fault is its brevity. I suppose it's best for a story about a rotting maternal corpse in the bedroom not to go on too long, but this one would have benefited from a few more pages, or even a few more paragraphs. The story lacks a resolution. Sometimes an open-ended ending is appropriate but I found the abrupt conclusion (really more of a discontinuation) to be frustrating. Still, I like Mander's writing style and admired the character development. I look forward to reading more of her work, particularly if she overcomes the only weakness that impairs this novel.

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