The Gentleman from Peru is about the joys and mysteries of being on holiday, albeit more like the luxurious holiday experiences we see in the hit TV series: The White Lotus, than real life.
It’s a perfect holiday read with a charming vintage postcard cover. A slim novel, it’s not too bulky to pack a hard copy and who wouldn’t want to read about a summer on the Mediterranean?
Set on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, the story is told in magic realism style by Andre Aciman, author of Call Me By Your Name and Find Me.
Author Andre Aciman
The subject matter and setting are aesthetically pleasing with picturesque scenes, balmy summer weather and a cinematic style. The witty, inquisitive characters eat fabulously fresh and elegantly simple dishes served by the charming Italian waiters. Aciman gives some description of the food and wine but I was left wanting more.
There’s lots of people-watching in this book and why not? It’s an easy pleasure when on holiday to enjoy observing and imagining the back-story of the people we see: our fellow travellers, the locals, the workers. When I sit to savour coffee or cocktails, I watch other people, admire their style, overhear their conversations, notice their mannerisms and wonder about their life beyond the holiday. So do the characters of this book, as they observe The Gentleman from Peru.
The story begins with the healing touch of a mysterious stranger and follows a group of young Americans, ten years out of college. The friends are on a private cruise together, as guests of Malcolm, their most successful friend. They are fulfilling a shared vow that the first of them to get rich, (Malcom) would take the others on a cruise. Their plans are blown off course when the yacht has engine trouble and they are forced to take all-expenses-paid shelter in an opulent hotel on an island off the Amalfi Coast.
There is an air of the happy accident in this story, with no-one seriously upset by plans going awry. Too bad Malcolm had to stay back for work; so sad engine trouble occurred so close to this resort island with ample hotel vacancies; so nice of Malcolm to pay for all the friends to stay here.
Lively conversation
Margot is a central character who gets to know the mysterious stranger: Raul, who is sixty-something and the titular Gentleman from Peru. Just as the young American friends have been watching him and other guests, he has been observing them. This is what causes him, on their third night on the island, to initiate a seemly miraculous interaction with one of the group: Mark, who’s suffering from shoulder pain. The stranger lightly lays his hand on Mark’s shoulder and the pain disappears. The group are sceptical about Raul, expecting him to be a hustler and he does not try to explain himself. However, they find themselves enjoying the lively conversation that ensues when they invite Raul to join them for after-dinner drinks.
In the days that follow, the young Americans share meals and philosophical banter with Raul, who proves to be seriously charming. Raul takes a special interest in Margot, with whom he has an other-worldly connection and they spend hours together, over long lunches, talking and sometimes strolling in the hills.
European culture
The Gentleman from Peru reminded me of other well-known stories such as The Big Sleep about a group of friends who met at college, have now grown up and achieved varying levels of success and who still have enough in common to want to hang out together. There are also similarities with The Talented Mr Ripley, in the sense of rich young Americans enjoying European culture.
In The Gentleman from Peru, the friendships are based on the shared experience of college, so they know each other well enough to really relax and enjoy long days and nights of dining and partying.
The story takes an unexpected twist and there is an element of people meeting across time, suggesting there are multiple versions or possibilities of our lives and selves all existing simultaneously, but in different time periods and contexts.
Luxury
Aciman delightfully describes Mediterranean coastal landscapes, the luxury of long days and nights dining and conversing and characters who were sharp of mind and kind of heart .
I loved the author’s previous books which share some similar themes of love and loss, of people discovering new insights into themselves and their lovers, of intense love and of beautiful locations as backdrops for his stories. Aciman’s latest novel is an engaging and pleasurable story.
I recommend this book as a great escape and possible holiday read, which also offers intelligent prompts for big picture thinking.
The Gentleman from Peru by Andre Aciman is published by Faber Fiction and retails for $26.99. This reviewer’s copy is from Berkelouw Books in Eumundi.
