Novecento is a novel/monologue by Alessandro Baricco.

Plot:
Danny Boodman T. D. Lemon Novecento was born on a ship, the Virginian, where he was found by a machinist. The machinist practically adopts him and takes care of him until his death, when Novecento is 8 years old. Novecento disappears for a couple of weeks – and when he’s back, he knows how to play the piano. And he’s a wonderful pianist.

Novecento was written for the actor Eugenio Allegri and director Gabriele Vacis. It’s kind of a mixture between a novel and a play. It’s short and wonderfully written and definitely worth to check out.

Novecento’s structure is what sets it apart from other Baricco books. Though Novecento is not your classic play, it is a monologue complete with stage instructions. The structure works very well. I especially appreciated the soundtrack instructions – that worked very well for me.

Speaking of which: the way Baricco ties music into the narrative is brilliant and very evocative. I loved his description of the musical duel, for example.

With other Baricco books Novecento shares a certain magical atmosphere. There are some actually magical moments (like how Novecento suddenly learns to play the piano), but they never take center stage – they just facilitate the story or serve as extended metaphors*.

Novecento is an interesting character. And having the story told from the point of view of his friend keeps him a little mysterious, leaves him open to interpretation which is nice.

The book is very short – and there’s no need for it being any longer. When it’s finished, it’s done. You can close the book and feel satisfied that it’s over, you don’t regreat that it’s longer. That also makes it the perfect “test book” to see if you like Baricco.

I just felt that I read it at the wrong stage in my life: At the end, Baricco gets a little philosophical-spiritual (a bit like Coelho) and that’s just something I don’t look for in a book anymore.

Summarising: Give it a try. It’s well-written, short and nice and may hit you at a better moment in your life than it did me.

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*If you’re interested, that’s my distinction between fantasy and magical realism: In fantasy, magic is central for the workings of the world. In magica realism, magic is only an auxiliary detail.