Description

The spellbinding true story of one of the most vicious crimes in recent Italian history

In March 2016, in an apartment on the outskirts of Rome, two “ordinary” young men brutally tortured and murdered twenty-two-year-old Luca Varani. News of the seemingly inexplicable crime sent shockwaves across Rome and beyond. After the crime comes to light, Lagioia begins investigating the crime by meeting with the victim’s family and corresponding with one of the killers. It soon becomes clear, however, that to investigate this crime means to descend into the darkest corners of Rome and of the human psyche. Lagioia leads us through a maze of betrayed expectations, sexual confusion, economic grievances and identity crises to locate the breaking point, the point after which anything is possible. Sharp, hypnotic, and devastating, The City of The Living is not just the story of a crime, but of human nature itself: the tension between responsibility and guilt, between the drive to oppress and the desire to be free, and between who we are and who we can become.

Publisher Review

“Psychogeography at its most perceptive.” * Financial Times * “The City of the Living is narrative at its best…the kind that breathes life into a crime’s case files and brings us disturbingly close to its perpetrators.” * Domenico Starnone, Corriere della Sera * “Make no mistake: this is a novel of modern Rome in all its beauty and flaws, and having its roots in true life makes it even more powerful.” * Maxim Jakubowski, Crime Time * “An absorbing study of the banality of evil.” * Kirkus Reviews * “Outlining the decay of the human psyche with a historic city in the background, The City Of The Living builds to a climactic moment.” * Buzz Magazine * “I don’t think it’s possible to praise this book enough.” * CrimeReads * “A chilling account of a true crime…. it reads like a gripping novel, to the point where you’ll need to remind yourself that this is a real story…. For those who enjoy true crime, crime fiction, or want to learn more about Rome’s seedier side, The City of the Living will undoubtedly capture your attention.” * West Words Reviews * “Reading some books can be an experience as extreme as the story they tell… This is the case with Nicola Lagioia’s The City of the Living.” * La Repubblica * “A magnificent panorama of Rome, dark and rotting.” * Domani *