The Performance

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By Claudia Petrucci & Anne Milano Appel

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Publisher Description

CLAUDIA PETRUCCI studied Modern Letters in Milan before moving to Perth, Australia. Her reportages and short stories—which range from realistic to experimental to science fiction—have been published on Cadillac, minima&moralia, and elsewhere. The Performance is her debut novel. It was shortlisted for the John Fante Award and won the prestigious Premio Flaiano Giovani, for writers under 30. It was also book of the day on Fahrenheit, an Italian radio program, and has so far been translated into German and French.

ANNE MILANO APPEL, based in California, has translated works by a number of leading Italian authors for a variety of publishers in the US and UK. Her most recent translations include works by the award-winning Antonio Scurati and Paolo Maurensig. Her awards include the Italian Prose in Translation Award, the John Florio Prize for Italian Translation, and the Northern California Book Award for Translation. Her website is: amilanoappel.com.

2 Reviews

4.0

Justin K.H Chen

Created over 1 year ago

“4.5 stars A captivating literary fiction with an equally effective thriller core, The Performance definitely has tricks up its sleeve and fully surpasses my expectation. With its languid opening section, I was anticipating a beautifully written, yet plot-less character study. But once the main event was triggered, the pacing sped up, and the novel became much more event-driven. A psychological take on Frankenstein, as well as commentary on societal expectation, The Performance explores aspects of how one survive in today's world (by 'performing' their expectant roles), and how does that action shape one's identity. The subject matter becomes even more layered when it involves 2 men and 1 woman—I love how 'gray' the novel portrays the male characters; they are evidently decent individuals, but the microaggression (intentional and unintentional) seeps through here and there. There are moments in The Performance that genuinely give me chills, while many recent thrillers leave me unmoved. I predict eventually some authors will snag this idea and write a more fast-paced (and perhaps more surface level) iteration of it. But in the meantime, if you don't mind a slow build and literary-leaning prose, this is a stand out experience that is both engaging and thought provoking. **This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**”

Constantine

Created about 3 years ago

“Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½ Genre: General Fiction A talented actress (Giorgia) falls in love with a man (Filippo) and for his sake, she decides to put an end to her career in stage acting. One day she meets her old stage director (Mauro) who encourages her to make a comeback to her stage acting career. Going through extreme stress and losing the grip on reality causes a severe breakdown in the actress who ends up being placed in a clinic. The two men each will do whatever it takes to win Giorgia back. I liked the ideas the author put in this story. Giorgia being in that thin line between reality and fiction was truly fascinating. This is the kind of plot which puts lots of doubts into the reader’s head. It is not confusing but it definitely will make you raise so many questions about life and what is real and what is not. Readers with mental health issues need to be cautious if they decide to read this book. The story is narrated from Filippo’s point of view. We see the world from his perspective. And through his emotions, we get to know the other characters and what he thinks about them. I think the author was successful in capturing all the different characters’ vulnerabilities. They felt real to me. This is a good debut novel but sometimes I felt some parts slowed down the plot which made me feel as if the book was way more than 300 pages. The ending was splendid. I feel that is an ending that can be subjectively interpreted by the readers. If you are looking for a story that deals with love, manipulation, mental health, and loss of identity, then this would make an interesting read. Add a crazy love triangle to it and you have more reasons to be dazzled. Many thanks to the publisher World Editions and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.”