I was half-way through this slim volume of short stories before I realised that I had already read it some years back and given it a measly 2 stars on Goodreads. I guess it goes to prove that I did not find it particularly memorable the first time round. Returning to it did not improve my perception. Trevisan's book is a tribute to Edgar Allan Poe, and he certainly does a reasonably good job of channeling the master of classic horror fiction through his use of febrile, demented monologues. However, whereas Poe builds an atmosphere of dread reserving moments of pure terror to the climax of his tales, Trevisan hits us on the head with a sledgehammer, with scenes of misogynistic violence, sexual perversion and bloody murder. Perhaps I'm too squeamish, but this was not for me. ( )

I was half-way through this slim volume of short stories before I realised that I had already read it some years back and given it a measly 2 stars on Goodreads. I guess it goes to prove that I did not find it particularly memorable the first time round. Returning to it did not improve my perception. Trevisan's book is a tribute to Edgar Allan Poe, and he certainly does a reasonably good job of channeling the master of classic horror fiction through his use of febrile, demented monologues. However, whereas Poe builds an atmosphere of dread reserving moments of pure terror to the climax of his tales, Trevisan hits us on the head with a sledgehammer, with scenes of misogynistic violence, sexual perversion and bloody murder. Perhaps I'm too squeamish, but this was not for me. ( )

Grotteschi e arabeschi. Poe e storie di horror quotidiano.
Il grottesco é la materia, terrigna, sanguinolenta, l'arabesco é la ratio, il razionalizzare l'impossibile, magari raschiando un muro per cancellare l'ombra di un mobile, di una fotografia che sono stati tolti.
Uhm però... troppo terrigno stavolta il Trevisan per i miei gusti, sanguinolento anche, saltato a piè pari le pagine dove descrive uccisioni di animali, e il sesso é stupro o quasi o violenza mortifera.
E anche l'arabesco, ho letto di meglio uscito dalla sua penna.
L'arabesco non é molto arabescato insomma.
Il barilozzo di Amontillado invettiva incattivita ma poco conturbante e niente di nuovo che non si sia già letto e pensato in relazione alle raccomandazioni, al tirare le tasche dei potenti, all'essere figlio di.. e quindi avere sempre il culo con un cuscino sotto che para il colpo. In questo caso in relazione al mondo del cinema e suoi attori e comparse.
Non mi ha convinto. No.
Ecco. ( )