The Silver Book is at once a queer love story and a noirish thriller, set in the dream factory of cinema. It’s a fictional account of real things, and an investigation into the difficult relationship between artifice and truth, illusion and reality, love and power. With thanks to Keighley_Reads for her review!
The Silver Book by Olivia Laing isn’t a genre I usually gravitate toward, but thanks to Tealeaves & Reads for the reading copy, I’m so glad I picked it up. Described as “a queer love story and a noirish thriller set in the dream factory of cinema,” this novel offers a poignant and atmospheric glimpse into 1970s England and Italy, with a particularly striking look at how homosexual men were treated in both countries during that era.
The story follows Nicholas, a young artist fleeing his life in England, who finds himself in Venice. There he meets Danilo, a designer working in Italian cinema, and quickly becomes drawn into Danilo’s world. Over the course of a year, Nicholas becomes Danilo’s apprentice in Rome, opening the door to a new life filled with opportunity, adventure, and complex relationships.
Laing’s writing is wonderfully immersive, so much so that reading the book felt like watching the scenes unfold on screen. Despite being a work of fiction, the novel is steeped in real cinematic history, touching on the filming of Casanova and Pasolini’s Salò, offering a vivid sense of the creative and chaotic energy behind 1970s Italian film culture.
This was an unexpectedly engrossing read and far outside my usual comfort zone. I’d definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy novels that feel a little different, rich in atmosphere, steeped in history, and emotionally deep.
About the Book
It is September 1974. Two men meet by chance in Venice. One is a young English artist, in panicked flight from London. The other is Danilo Donati, the magician of Italian cinema, the designer responsible for realising the spectacular visions of Fellini and Pasolini. Donati is in Venice to produce sketches for Fellini’s Casanova. A young – and beautiful – apprentice is just what he needs.
He sweeps Nicholas to Rome, into the looking-glass world of Cinecittà, the studio where Casanova’s Venice will be ingeniously assembled. Then in the spring, the lovers move together to the set of Salò, Pasolini’s horrifying fable of fascism.
But Nicholas has a secret and in this world of constant illusion, his real nature passes unseen. Amidst the rising tensions of Italy’s ‘Years of Lead’, he acts as an accelerant, setting in motion a tragedy he didn’t intend.
About The Author
An author and critic, Olivia Laing has written eight books, including The Lonely City, Everybody: A Book About Freedom and the Sunday Times number one bestseller The Garden Against Time. Laing’s first novel, Crudo, won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and in 2018 they were awarded the Windham-Campbell Prize for non-fiction. Their books have been translated into 21 languages.
Purchase the Book
This book can be purchased in our store either on its own or in a cosy Book Box. Whilst stocks last, we have the independent bookshop exclusive edition with sprayed edges.
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