Short narrative set in ROME (memoir)

• Book: The Marco Chronicles
• Location: Rome
• Author: Elizabeth Geoghegan

Review Author: tripfiction

A short memoir set in Rome, in which the author shares her experiences of the ‘Italian male’ in Rome. And all of her liaisons (she is clear they are really not boyfriend material), bar one, were called Marco, hence the title of this narrative.

“If Rome were a woman, she’d be a whore. The kind of whore that looks good from a distance or in just the right light. And while you are busy ogling her cupolas, she will deftly slip the wallet from your back pocket. She will deceive you and seduce you and she will be so intoxicating you will have a hard time letting her go”

The author just captures that sense of what it is to be in Italy – the smells, tastes and the views are terrifically brought to life (think fresh fettuccine, fennel, and the smell of rosemary and lavender assaulting your senses!). But fundamentally the Italian men are a conundrum to her, no, more than that, a no-go area. She likens them to anything ‘Made in Italy‘, to wit, ‘form over substance‘. Behind the sultry sunglasses, the shock of styled hair, the gait and the clothes, there is a man, who essentially is looking for a quick dive under the covers, but paradoxically wants a chaste young woman for his wife. Essentially it is the Madonna/Whore Complex, the Italian male splits his womenfolk into two – those who are suitable to bring home to Mama, and those who are suitable for sex. She goes on to describe some of the proclivities displayed by many of her encounters, and goes on to explain why on certain stretches of road around Rome there are beautiful, dark skinned women available to the passing motorist. Rome is also a lure for transvestites, you may ask yourself why? In parts this is a very interesting and illuminating read, in others the content is depressing because of the functional interactions between the male and female in Italy.

If you date four Marcos on the trot, who essentially are non-committers, there is of course a common denominator and I think it might have enhanced the generally bleak view to bring in some self reflection on why the author might have been drawn to a certain type of male, the narrative would have felt more rounded.

That said, I have heard what Geoghegan describes echoed elsewhere, so if you are intent on dating an Italian male, they come with a health warning; don’t be solely drawn in by the honed looks, do take a moment to reflect a little deeper! And read this memoir before you make any moves!

This review first appeared on our blog, introducing Shebooks

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