Lead Review (the Amalfi Curse)
- Book: The Amalfi Curse
- Location: Positano
- Author: Sarah Penner
Haven Ambrose is a well qualified nautical archaeologist. She has arrived in Positano to investigate some of the old shipwrecks that litter the seabed off Positano and particularly around the three Li Galli Islands. She is on a mission with a sponsor, and privately is on a quest to find some treasure, originally identified by her late father, who was also a renowned diver. She has hardly arrived and she happens to observe a yacht, listing and sinking, which goes on to claim the lives of several people. She is clear, however, given her excellent knowledge of the sea, that the water should not obviously have claimed its victims, it was calm and inviting, and this consequently leaves her pondering the reasons behind this accident. Geothermal activity, perhaps, might have been the root cause, as there is certainly some news that Vesuvius is rumbling once again. But it doesn’t really make any coherent sense to her.
Back in 1821 the reader gains an insight into the activities of the streghe, a group of women with other-worldly gifts (witches, in other words), identified by the cimaruta each woman wears. They are bound to the sea and can harness its powers. They have to counter the onslaught of the Mazza brothers, a cohort of brigands and pirates based in Naples, who frequently descend on Positano and the surrounding area, intent on plunder. A kidnap of one of the women inflames their determination see the interlopers off.
There is a great sense of place and sea, forming a terrific backdrop to unfolding events. There is slow burning romance, intrigue and adventure and a good insight into the life of a professional diver.
When visiting Positano it is possible to feel the sense of the past and this novel constructs a beguiling backstory for the modern day events. It moves well between the two timelines (which is a skill in itself) but perhaps early on it was a little slow to crank into gear.
An inventive story, with a dash of magical realism (I am not usually much of a fan of this genre but really enjoyed the machinations of the streghe).
As a visitor today, there is a palpable sense of history and here the author has constructed a story that, when gazing towards the Li Galli islands (privately owned and therefore inaccessible to ordinary mortals), might just feel plausible. A pleasure to read (and which also works well as an audiobook, with great narration).
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