Safe Return Doubtful

translated from the Italian by Anne Milano Appel

It was no surprise that I enjoyed this. I’m a bag fan of Maurensig, having read three previous novels of his and found them all great, and beacuse its his only venture into the horror genre. I hurry to add though, that it is literary hour, and subtle.

There’s not a lot of need for a summary, as the title does that. Straight away it put me in mind of another ‘devil comes to town’ novel, [author:Joan Samson|471520]’s [book:The Auctioneer|923832], which was more recognisable as out and out horror, though just as entertaining.

Its a novel in layers, with an author with just one successful book is sent manuscripts from hopeful authors looking for advice and help in publishing them. Amongst them is an anonymous one, ‘The Devil in the Drawer’. The manuscript tells of how the protagonist, Friedrich, in September 1991 travels to a Swiss town by Lake Zurich where he meets a priest, Father Cornelius, who warns him about the devil, and the evils of literature, which he calls “a dangerous endeavor”.

In turn, Cornelius relates a tale of his own encounter with the devil, which makes up the bulk of the novel. Cornelius was sent to a Swiss tourist town to aid the local priest, the town known for its high population of writers, indeed Goethe lived there. Cornelius is keen to embrace the town’s love of literature, so sets up a new prize for local writers. However, his arrival coincides with the arrival of another stranger, a publisher from Lucerne, Bernhard Fuchs, promising locals the moon and the stars, and settling down to observe the various goings-on. Fuchs is of course, the devil.

There’s little else of the supernatural, no blood and guts, indeed very little violence. Its a work of horror, because it is unsettling. Literature in its main theme, with subtle homages, and a tongue-in-cheek feel that ensures reading never gets too heavy.