Canone Inverso

Paolo Maurensig

The format of a story within story (within a story) is one that Maurensig is obviously most comfortable with (since both his books take on the same format), and one which he does very well. In this, his second novel, Maurensig tells the story of a beautiful voilin with a strange carving on it, which goes up for auction and is bought by someone who obviously has a long history with it. Upon taking it home, a stranger comes knocking who wants nothing more than to lay eyes on the violin, to authenticate its existance. Curious, the new owner of the instrument asks him why he is so interested in this particular violin and the stranger tells the story of how he came to learn of it. He tells about an eccentric violin virtuoso he met many years ago, who told _him_ a story about the beautiful violin with a strange carving which belonged to him. The eccentric is the topic of his own story, relating the events of his life, the cruel music school he endured, his friendship with a young schoolmate who considered himself more talented than he, and his relationship -- which was his lifeline really -- with this particular instrument. To elaborate any more would mean filling the review with spoilers. Sufficing to say, it is an engaging book, haunting and eloquent, and very satisfying in the realization of its ending which puts a surprising new light on the story within a story within a story the reader has just encountered.