Secrecy A Novel
Secrecy A Novel by Rupert Thomson, published by Other Press, LLC on April 22, 2014, is a reprint edition comprising 400 pages. This historical fiction unfolds in late seventeenth-century Florence, where Zummo, a Sicilian sculptor, is summoned to the Medici court. Amidst a backdrop of repression and hypocrisy, Zummo is tasked with creating a life-size wax figure of a woman, a project that intertwines his fate with that of a mysterious woman whose secrets threaten to unravel him.
Readers will find a narrative that delves into the complexities of desire and isolation, as Zummo navigates the treacherous waters of court intrigue and personal demons. The story features a cast of characters, including the Grand Duke, who conceals his suffering behind a facade of piety, and the menacing Dominican priest, Stufa, who poses a significant threat to Zummo’s existence. Through its vivid portrayal of Florence’s sensuality and the exploration of themes such as beauty and decay, this novel invites readers to reflect on the nature of survival and the possibility of redemption amidst turmoil.
Official synopsis Publisher
A sorcerer in wax. A fugitive. Haunted by a past he cannot escape. Threatened by a future he cannot imagine.
Zummo, a Sicilian sculptor, is summoned by Cosimo III to join the Medici court. Late seventeenth-century Florence is a hotbed of repression and hypocrisy. All forms of pleasure are brutally punished, and the Grand Duke himself, a man for whom marriage has been an exquisite torture, hides his pain beneath a show of excessive piety.
The Grand Duke asks Zummo to produce a life-size woman out of wax, an antidote to the French wife who made him suffer so. As Zummo wrestles with this unique commission, he falls under the spell of a woman whose elusiveness mirrors his own, but whose secrets are far more explosive. Lurking in the wings is the poisonous Dominican priest, Stufa, who has it within his power to destroy Zummo’s livelihood, if not his life.
In this highly charged novel, Thomson brings Florence to life in all its vibrant sensuality, while remaining entirely contemporary in his exploration of the tensions between love and solitude, beauty and decay. When reality becomes threatening, not to say unfathomable, survival strategies are tested to the limit. Redemption is a possibility, but only if the agonies of death and separation can be transcended.
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