Castillo

by Clare Azzopardi

Mhux kulħadd jiddeċiedi li jmut.

Emma qatlet żewġt irġiel. Dennis Castillo u Tommy Grech. It-tnejn li huma ħadu b’idejn il-Kurunell Muammar Gaddafi meta ġie Malta bejn il-21 u l-24 ta’ Mejju tal-1976. Tommy kien jaħdem il-Palazz ta’ Sant’Anton fejn il-Kurunell kiel is-Sibt u l-Ħadd filgħaxija. Kellu r-ritratt ma’ Gaddafi mdendel fl-intrata tad-dar. Dennis kien spettur u kellu ritratt ma’ Gaddafi fuq l-iskrivanija fl-uffiċċju tiegħu. Qatt ma ddispjaċieha ta’ dak li għamlet. Sakemm darba waħda, tfaċċajt jien quddiem il-bieb tad-dar tagħha. Jien Amanda, it-tifla ta’ Emma.

Kieku kellek titlef lil ommok, u meta terġa’ ssibha snin twal wara, issir taf li qatlet, x’tagħmel?

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

320 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

Clare Azzopardi (1977) is an award-winning writer who writes for both children and adults. She is the Head of Department of Maltese at the University of Malta Junior College and for the past several years has been an active member of Inizjamed, an NGO whose mission is to promote literature in Malta and abroad. With Inizjamed, she has co-organised literary festivals and workshops, often in collaboration with Literature Across Frontiers (LAF). Her work has been translated into several languages and has appeared in a number of collections including Transcript, In Focus, Cúirt 21, Skald, Words without Borders and Novel of the World. Her play L-Interdett Taħt is-Sodda was published in French (Éditions Théâtrales, 2008) and in Arabic (I-ACT, 2009). Azzopardi has also published 2 books of short stories for adults, both of which won the National Book Prize for Literature – Il-Linja l-Ħadra (The Green Line) and Kulħadd ħalla isem warajh (The names they left behind). Her latest collection will be also published in Croatian and Hungarian. She was one of the 10 Europe’s New Voices in 2016.

Reviews

[Leanne Ellul · Rating 5 out of 5]

iġifieri meta taqra dan il-ktieb (jew kotba?) tibqa' hekk, ftit ħalqek miftuħ, imma qisek tkun trid tagħlqu wkoll ħa tomgħod xi qrajt. qisek dal-ktieb tafu imma fl-istess waqt qatt ma qrajt bħalu - aktarx ħabba s-saffi u r-referenzi storiċi/politiċi/popolari li fih, aktarx għax miktub b'ħila kbira. kull karattru għandu skop, kull kelma taqdi funzjoni. ktieb li taqrah b'kawtela għax tħoss li f'idejk għandek xi ħaġa speċjali. insomma ... iġifieri aqrawh. u aktarx terġgħu taqrawh, ukoll.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve recently watched the film adaptation of this book which then led me to read this long ago purchased book languishing on my shelves. Books and films are two different creatures. I loved the film and where it took the story. The book though let me create my own pictures and to delve deeper into the story and the characters.

Castillo is a figment of the imagination of one of Azzopardi’s characters. As such he has a following and he has also roped me in. We the followers who follow his titbits, his thoughts, his musings, his flashes of insight are puzzled and saddened when Catherine or Emma push him into darkness. We do not want him tarnished. We have so many banged up things around us, so many disappointments. Can we take this disappointment as well? What shall we set aside? Castillo himself? Or his ending?

I wonder why Azzopardi chose this path. Why did she tarnish him? Is there no hope left? No heroes? Should we be the ones to stand up and say no, no more? Or should be just wait for the heroes, who then turn out to have clay feet? Is this looking for others to solve our problems a national trait?

Maybe Castillo is a mirror, a picture of our past. Those years where turbulent and many different shades of those times exist. There isn’t only one single narrative. The pain, our national trauma is still unhealed because the tangled web needs untangling, needs to be seen and acknowledged. Like Castillo’s stories who at first seem clear cut and then become complicated very easily.

Although the film chose to tie up all the loose ends, Azzopardi did not choose to take this path. Her book reflects our reality more in that we have different narratives, different pains to heal and not everything is clear but there are still lots of things in the murk. Maybe it is up to the likes of Amanda and in future Klarissa to start trying to untangle this ball of thread.

[Ends of the Word · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is many things (even many novels, perhaps) but, at least at a superficial level, it could be described as a mystery story featuring two investigators.

The first of the novel’s two “detectives” is the narrator, Amanda. Now that she is, herself, the mother a toddler, Amanda decides to trace the whereabouts of her mother, who left home when Amanda was a young girl. Amanda's intention is to confront her about her family’s past. In particular, she is intrigued by the mysterious figure of her aunt Catherine, also known as Cathy, Kitty or “K. Penza”, the author of a series of detective novels of the 70s and 80s about the novel’s “second” investigator – Inspector Castillo. The elusive Cathy, Emma’s twin, was killed in a bomb attack in the political turmoil eighties and her last novel was completed and published by Emma. The author’s death was passed off as accidental, but was likely a result of Cathy venturing into politically sensitive territory in her Castillo novels. Amanda is shocked to learn from her mother that Emma avenged the assassination by killing two men – the presumed killer and Cathy’s creation, Castillo.

"Castillo" is a meta-detective-story which indulges in some intriguing postmodern playfulness. The present-day narrative, featuring Amanda’s search for the truth about her family, alternates with chapters from the fictional Castillo novels. These segments include intentional clichés gleaned from the detective and the police procedural genres and contain nods to established crime authors. In one of the meta-fictional references in the novel, a disappointed reader writes a letter to Penza complaining that her stories do not respect Father Knox’s Ten Commandments for the writing of crime fiction. Ronald Knox, a writer from the Golden Age of detective fiction, devised a set of rules for aspiring authors of mystery stories. The rules essentially consider a crime novel as a “puzzle” in which the reader should be given a fair opportunity to solve. Classic mystery fiction is a comfort read precisely because whatever heinous crimes lie at the heart of a book, the conundrum is solved at the end, the perpetrator apprehended and the world returned to safe mode.

Not so "Castillo". Amanda’s questions are never clearly answered. The novel has a recurrent theme of empty, or nearly-empty, houses – Amanda’s after the death of her father, Emma’s, Cathy’s, that of Cathy’s erstwhile friend/lover Anne. Amanda seeks answers from them, but they yield their secrets begrudgingly, if at all.

Similarly, the Castillo chapters are like tantalising excerpts from longer novels, setting out the mystery but never leading us to the satisfying conclusion which we would expect from a traditional crime novel – certainly not from one respecting Father Knox’s commandments.

"Castillo" is a multi-layered novel, and one of its most important strands is a “political” one. As the book progresses, the Castillo segments become darker and darker, and the final excerpt (from Penza’s meta-fictional swansong The Brothers Tonna) portrays a harrowing scene of police brutality that is very clearly based on a notorious real-life episode of the eighties. Maltese recent history is still very divisive. Azzopardi suggests that one way of confronting an uncomfortable past is through fiction. At the same time, the lack of a clear “closure” to the Castillo series (the published version not reflecting Kitty’s manuscript) expresses pessimism about the possibility of older generations ever managing to come to terms with the country’s past. If there is any hope it is in the younger generations represented by Amanda’s daughter Klarissa – untainted by the sins of the past, they can (possibly?) build a brighter future.

I found this to be an intriguing and complex novel which, through a deft sleight of hand, manages to deliver the thrills of a traditional mystery story whilst breaking the basic rules of the genre.

For a fuller review, head to:

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...

[Claire Zerafa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nibża' li dak li nikteb ma jagħmilx ġustizzja lill-kobor ta' dan ix-xogħol letterarju. Hekk inqisu, letterarju, fil-veru sens tal-kelma, għax f'dan ir-rumanz hemm saffi li l-qarrej jidħol iterraq fihom, biex jiskoprihom u jħossu jdur u jagħqad, ifittex, jaħseb u jħoss. Se nieqaf hawn għax inħossni sempliċi wisq fi kliemi biex niddeskrivi l-profondità f'dan ir-rakkont b'ritmu mexxej, b'kull kelma meqjusa, bi plott li jħallik tfittex u bil-għatx għal aktar. Wara l-istejjer kollha ta' Castillo, u bl-istorja ta' Amanda, Emma, Cathy, Anne u Klarissa, jirnexxilek tħoss l-għatx tal-awtriċi biex tirrakkonta, il-gost tagħha tirrakkonta lill-qarrej, tħallilu lakuni apposta biex tħallih jipprova jimliehom waħdu sakemm terġa' turih li qiegħda hemm għalih ħa tkompli tirrakkontalu u twasslu jifhem storja ferm ikbar u ferm aktar profonda.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read , and enjoyed, Clare Azzopardi’s De Molizz trilogy, I was quite eager to read her only novel Castillo, especially since there will be a theatrical adaptation happening this month. I also admit I was curious to see if any of the post modern influences seen in her children’s books would crop up here as well.

The main protagonist of Castillo is Amanda, who is on a mission: she has to find out why her mother, Emma, ran away from her when she was 5 years old. She also wants to tie up another loose end in her life, which is about the mysterious life of her aunt, Catherine (who call herself K. Penza), who wrote a series detective novels featuring the titular inspector Castillo.

Castillo can be seen as a post modern murder mystery. While Amanda is conducting her own investigation and gathering clues, we readers are treated to excerpts of the Castillo novels. These segments drop a series of hints about Catherine’s life and also serve a homage to other people who wrote rule breaking detective novels, such as the Montalbano series and Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy.

The more Amanda uncover secrets about her aunt’s life, the more layers this complex book unfurl for the reader to analyse. We discover Amanda’s relationship with her father, and her refusal to be like her mother. We also discover the intricate relationship between an author and their works, that life can definitely reflect in one’s writings. This concept goes deeper has we discover that Amanda’s mother wrote an ending to an unfinished Castillo novel, which then reflects Emma’s way of thinking. It also asks the question if one can truly kill a character in a novel.

Another aspect I liked was that the Castillo novels take place in 70’s and 80’s Malta, which was totally different from what it is now. As I lived in Canada during that time, only visiting every few years during the summer holidays, I only have snippets of memories. Thus the novel takes a political turn in the process and is an interesting snapshot of how Malta was like during that time.

Aside from Inspector Castillo and Amanda, the third detective in this book is the reader. Technically Amanda does not really have all her questions answered but when the readers starts piecing the clues, a clearer picture emerges, although we do not receive closure, we do know a bit more than our main protagonists.

Castillo is an excellent, flowing read, that , like a good detective novel grips the reader and yet provides plenty to think about in the process. I am sure that this novel will be one that I’ll be reflecting about for a long time.

[Kris Polidano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qtajt nifsi. Il-kliem, il-plott, il-ġrajja, l-istorja, kif jintgħaġen kollox –– kif nibqgħu b'xejn. Rari li taqra ktieb u jġiegħel lil qalbek tagħmel "tikk" f'prattikament kull punt fejn issib xi forma ta' punteġġjatura. Dan huwa ktieb li jridu jgħallmuh fl-iskejjel, li juri lin-nies li għandhom il-perċezzjoni falza li ġejja minn kif ngħallmu lil niesna li l-letteratura Maltija hija nferjuri. Inferjuri [tistgħu timmaġinaw x'kelma ġejja hawn].

Ħanina.

[Anna Zammit]

Castillo, Clare Azzopardi’s first novel, can be compared to a lenticular image. Looked at from one angle, it is about Castillo’s murder mysteries, while, seen from another angle, it is about Amanda’s story. These stories are intertwined because it was Amanda’s aunt, Cathy Penza, who created the character of clever Castillo. Azzopardi’s fictional narrative weaves a multi-layered tapestry that is set within the deep realism of Malta in the eighties.

The narrative is deceptively simple. The changes from one story to another play on the reality-fiction dichotomy that is crucial to the narrative. Like a shrewd trickster, the author intertwines imagination and realism, such as when she describes photographs of the protagonists with Colonel Gaddafi of Libya. The photographs intrigue Amanda, and also the reader, who tries to make sense of them and understand their significance. At times, readers need to pinch themselves to remember that this is fiction and not history, fiction which, however, echoes the collective memory of many Maltese.

The novel provokes the question of whether Malta and the Maltese are mature enough to handle the main subject of the novel and to come to terms with their past. The eighties was a time of heightened political bipolarity and divisiveness, and the events that took place in that period will always be interpreted with a bipolar gauge. The phenomenon of unsolved murders is not just an eighties phenomenon; however, at the time, the number of murders shrouded in partisan politics, which remain unsolved to this day was and is indeed a political problem.

In Castillo, we find parallels with one particular murder in the eighties, which eventually exposed police thuggery. In reality, this particular case reached the law courts and was resolved in court. However, despite this outcome, some still question whether justice was indeed done. The rest of the cases remain unsolved, notwithstanding the changes in political power, with a Nationalist administration taking over from a Labour administration in 1987, and staying in power for twenty-five years, up to 2013. Therefore, Gina’s question, in conversation with Amanda, is the key question that keeps being asked, “Għax da’, saru daqshekk affarijiet f’dal-pajjiż u ħadd qatt ma nqabad Ġieżu Ġież, u qtil u intriċċi u kollox baqa’ għaddej!” (Because, you know, so much happened in this country and nobody has ever been caught, for God’s sake, and murders and intrigue and it’s as if nothing happened - my translation.) A murder is often a mystery, but the fact that these murders remain unsolved in such a minute archipelago conveys an even greater sense of mystery.

Another, perhaps more palatable, theme in this novel which I find captivating is that of the ‘empty house’, by unlocking the door of two particular houses, Amanda exposes their history, what they were like while they were still inhabited and full of life. This theme is also found in Azzopardi’s book of short stories Kulħadd Ħalla Isem Warajh (2014), in which she clearly shows a strong sense of disappointment on the rough changes that Malta is undergoing in its built environment, with town houses being pulled down and turned into apartment blocks. In Castillo, too, one senses the persistent unpleasant feeling of an uncertain future for these beautiful houses, and by extension for society in general.

I particularly enjoyed this feature of the novel, by which the houses are turned into characters in their own right, and play as important a role as the human characters. This role becomes even more significant when the inhabitants of these houses leave, and they remain abandoned, full of stories stored in boxes. Some might argue that the main theme here is that of nostalgia, a sadness for what has been long lost; however, the townhouses are also a reflection of what society itself was like not so long ago, and a promise of what it could be like if these houses are maintained and reinhabited. More than just nostalgia (the past was not idyllic either), this theme suggests a ‘protest’ against the irresponsible abandonment of the Maltese townscapes and villagescapes and how this change is leading to anomic urbanization, in other words, a city in which individualism is rife.


With this work, Clare Azzopardi is establishing the reputation of an author who wants us to see the world from the viewpoint of the Maltese woman. In Castillo, she writes about a number of defiant women, namely, Amanda, her mother, the mother’s twin sister and creator of Castillo as an author, and other female characters who successfully navigate through the male hegemonic gaze.

This approach to writing from a female oriented view is in keeping with Azzopardi’s previous works, in particular Kulħadd Ħalla Isem Warajh, but also her plays. Yet, I do not think that she is merely making up for the time that has been lost because authors in the local literary scene did not show the female perspective since, for a long time, the scene was dominated by male authors whose narrative inevitably reveals their male view of Malta and of women in Malta.

In Azzopardi’s skilled hands, the exercise of women telling their story (or stories about other women), becomes effortless and makes us eager to explore this narrative, which was always there but, finally, here is someone who is capable of uncovering these hidden narratives and challenges the reader to become aware of their existence. I note feminist authorship here, not simply because of the inclusion of female characters and narrators, but because of how these women act and think, in particular with respect to their motherhood, their work as authors (perhaps as historians), their undomesticated roles, their sexuality and their inclination to murder. In other words, they do not behave and think like your average hegemonic female.

Some might be tired of stories about the infamous eighties, a case of eighties fatigue that calls for moving on. However, to move on one needs to tackle all the issues that remain unexplored. Castillo touches upon a theme which must be resolved for Malta to move on, otherwise we are going to keep going round in a political vicious circle that will eventually lead to a dead end. Azzopardi clearly does not shy away from controversy. This novel, suggests that the position of letting ‘sleeping dogs lie’ will keep the real murders from being solved, and will not allow the country to reach political maturity.

Finally, Castillo, to me, is a continuation of the narratives in Kulħadd Ħalla Isem Warajh. As happens in Kulħadd Ħalla Isem Warajh, this novel is also set in post-colonial Malta, partly with Dom Mintoff as Prime Minister at the helm, and, moreover, it is an account of another Maltese woman who is coming to terms with the political history of Malta, and her family history. The difference is that, since this is a novel, we can more profoundly delve at length into the narrative, whereas, since Kulħadd Ħalla Isem Warajh consists of short stories, it leaves readers wanting to learn more about the protagonists.

Castillo also contains a mythical element, which is very prominent/evident in Kulħadd Ħalla Isem Warajh, in particular in Camilla’s story. In Castillo it is present, for example, in the lure of the valley in Ghargur and in the disappearance of Amanda’s mother. The appearance of Gaddafi in photographs, too, turns him into a mythical figure, in spite of the fact that Gaddafi did exist and relations between Malta and Libya were indeed close at the time.

These are my thoughts on a first read of Castillo. However, since Azzopardi writes in a multi-layered style, I might have to read it again to discover more. For those who are keeping scores, note that Azzopardi is also the author of L-Interdett Taħt is-Sodda.

[Elizabeth Grech · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan il-ktieb huwa wiehed minn dawk li tibda taqra u tkun trid tizola ruhek gurnata jew jumejn u taqrah kollu f'daqqa u fl-istess hin ktieb li ma tridu jispicca qatt. Nixtieq naqra r-rumanzi kollha ta' K.Penza issa issa, issa stess. Iva, dar-rumanz fih hafna skiet minkejja li Malta storbjuza. Ghogbuni hafna hafna hafna id-dettalji zghar li tant hemm minnhom li nixtieq nerga naqrah mill-gdid ghax certa li se niskopri affarijiet godda. Clare, irrid iktar, iktar u iktar.

[Jesmond Sharples · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan hu ktieb li fil-binja tiegħu hu wieħed eċċezzjonali u jipprovdi nifs ġdid lil-Letteratura Maltija kontemporanja. L-istruttura tar-rumanz tmexxik b'ħila u artistrija minn paġna għal oħra, kapitlu għal kapitlu f'rakkont minsuġ madwar numru ta' protagonisti nisa (u anke rġiel) f' Malta fit-tmeninijiet. Ir-relazzjoni kontrasti ta' bejn Amanda u bintha Klarissa, u Amanda u ommha hi waħda mid-'drivers' tal-istorja flimkien mar-rakkonti ħelwin ta' K. Penza li jinfilsaw lil Castillo fir-rakkont b'mod oriġinali għall-aħħar.

[Cherise Aquilina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sabiħ wisq dan il-ktieb! Id-deskrizzjonijiet, id-djalogi kif ukoll il-ħsibijiet tal-karattri, huma tant realistiċi li l-qarrej iħossu parti minnhom. Għoġobni immens il-fatt li l-istorja mhijiex b'narrazjoni minn perspettiva waħda biss, iżda li fil-kitba tagħha, Azzopardi, tinkludi r-rumanzi ta' K.Penza u xi listi li jsibu l-karattri stess. (Pereżempju l-lista tal-logbook.)

Bla ebda dubju, żgur li se nerġa' naqra dan il-ktieb ħafna u ħafna iktar drabi! Ktieb brillanti!

[Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rajt ir-reċta darbtejn, u issa qrajt il-ktieb ukoll. U xorta nħoss li rrid iktar!

Castillo huwa rumanz mexxej immens, bi plott interessanti, kast ta' karattri memorabbli, u djalogi miktubin b'mod eċċellenti minn Clare Azzopardi.

Ktieb li, wara kull kapitlu, jġiegħlek taħseb u tirrifletti fuq dak li tkun għadek kemm qrajt. Ktieb li kif tispiċċah iħallik bla kliem.

[Sylvana Zarb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rumanz li rrid nerġa' naqrah. Darba, darbtejn, tlieta. Itik il-ħin tiegħek biex taqrah u tifmhu, tħalli lill-karattri jsiru parti minnek. Jekk ngħid li ktieb li ma titilqux minn idek qabel tlestieh, inħossni li nkun qiegħda nirrepeti l-istess espressjoni. Dan jaħkmek imma jaħkmek bħal tgħanniqa li kienet u għadha ttini ommi - għalkemm 26 sena u fini d-doppju tagħha. Irrid nerġa' naqrah, però mhux għalissa - irrid itini ċans nieħu nifs jew tnejn minnu u nerġa' nħallih jaħkimni.

Rumanz mibni pass pass u li jħallik tifmhu, b'karattri partikolari - kemmxejn eċċentriċi imma reali. Ovvjament! Jaf wieħed iħossu jirrelata r-rumanz ma' ġrajjiet reali imma dak f'idejn il-qarrej u jaf li naf huwa ftit u ċerta li hawn min jaf bil-qabda iktar minni. Ħames stilel u ħaqqu iktar! Meta ser toħroġ li jmiss Clare ?

[Roberta Bajada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dar-rumanz speċjali għal diversi raġunijiet: mexxej u kumpless fl-istess ħin, sieket, imma jitkellem volumi sħaħ, huwa l-istorja t’Amanda u ommha, imma huwa wkoll l-istorja tal-Ispettur Denis Castillo. Ċertament li x-xeni u l-karattri kollha, impittrin b’tant reqqa permezz tal-konverżazzjoni, ta’ memorji rikorrenti matul ir-rumanz, kifukoll t’osservazzjonijiet metikolużi, huma fost il-ħafna affarijiet li jagħmlu lil ‘Castillo’ esperjenza li mhux faċli tintesa mill-qarrej matul iż-żmien.

[Kirsty Azzopardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan ktieb li ħallieni bla kliem u minflok tani l-kliem li jgħid is-skiet. Jew forsi dak li jaħbi.

[David Demarco · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. initially, i struggled to move between Emma’s story and the Castillo detective stories embedded within. then as one gathers pace the interplay settles down allowing the reader to move forward easily from one chapter to another l. i found myself wanting more all the time. Castillo is a central character offering shades of Camilleri’s Montalbano as he leads into investigations mindful of the deviousness around him. Clare created Cathy who created Dennis. Cathy resonated with me the most. This brave writer who produced storyline after storyline within the novel, never stopping in her tracks, despite ominous threats coming her way. Where have we seen that before.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A meta-detective novel of almost choking melancholy, of which I enjoyed every page even when it confused me or made me uncomfortable. Amanda's narrative is interspersed with chapters from her aunt's crime novels, and often her own motivations are as obscure as those of the people whose stories she hunts down. Not going to forget this.

[Matthew Schembri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rumanz li jħallik hekk: “...” F'sens tajjeb. Tajjeb ħafna.

[Andrew Sammut]

Review in English: Didn't enjoy this one as much as I ultimately thought I would. It started off brilliantly, the suspense had me flipping through the pages as though thumbing a magazine, the characters were developed well, and the plot was headed somewhere. Unfortunately, in my case, it all ended in frustration.

Riċensjoni bil-Malti: coming soon

[Maria Mangion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ktieb li tnizzlu biss meta taqrah minn faccata sa' faccata.

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nistqarr li kellhi ċertu aspettattivi għal dan l-ktieb. Nemmen li l-istorja setgħet tiżviluppa aħjar, biss jien m'iniex f'moħħ l-awtriċi.

Ktieb li fih ħafna truf, storja li xi kultant ittik l-impressjoni li ħarbet minn idejn l-awtriċi, dejjem fl-opinjoni tiegħi. Metaforikament f'lingwaċċ kalċistiku qisek għandek team b'ħafna pussess tal-ballun li mbagħad ma jixxuttjax fil-lasta, mingħajr ma naqqas xejn mill-kapaċijiet letterarju tal-awtriċi. Għax il-Malti tagħha huma mirqum u mhux ftit.

Ħarira diżappuntat għal kif l-istejjer paralleli ġew żviluppati (jew le, f'xi waqtiet).

[Dina Kabil · Rating 5 out of 5]

الجميل في رواية كاستيللو أولا هو ترجمتها التي قام بها عبد الرحيم يوسف الشعر والمترجم الماهر، فالقاريء لا يشعر بأنه أمام عمل مترجم.

ثم مستويات السرد المحتلفة التي تعكس حنكة روائية قديرة هي المالطية كلير أتسوباردي.
خط أول يروي قصة الشابة أماندا ولقائها بأمها بعد غياب 25 عام، خط آخر حول الأم القاتلة وأسباب القتل وملابساته
ثم خط ثالث يتناول الخالة كاتبة الروايات البوليسية.

وهنا يظهر خط آخر شديد الحداثة حيث تتداخل مقاطع وقصاقيص من حكايات الكاتبة ويتم تعشيقها داخل الخط العام للرواية.

[Stephanie Azzopardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Had a slow intro but ended up reading it in 4 days while I was sick. The conclusion left me in silence which is one of the themes of the book. It also left me wanting to know more. Reading in Maltese is not my usual thing but overall I really liked the writing style and the story. Now I am curious about all the castillo mysteries/books mentioned and would love to read one of them

[Adam Becket · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this

[Mauro Miceli · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this book Clare keeps raising the bar for contemporary Maltese Literature. Brilliant novel for adults and shows a Malta that is slowly being lost

[Sarah Anne Abela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ktieb sabiħ ferm. Ma stajtx nitilqu min idi u lestejtu f'inqas min 4 t'ijiem. Se jkolli nerġa' naqrah żgur biex nifhmu aħjar u niskopri affarijiet ġodda.

[Elizabeth Ebejer · Rating 5 out of 5]

...xi ġmiel ta' Malti mirqum...u rakkont bil-ħsieb...li jħallik sal-aħħar tfittex għal iktar...f'mumenti ngħid din jien u f'oħrajn għedt naf sew il-waqt...

[Marthese Formosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Castillo huwa ktieb dwar Amanda, li fittxet lil ommha wara 25-il sena, wara li miet missierha. Il-ktieb fih elementi ta' misteru, peru, mhux kollox jissolva. Hafna nies kellhom ritratt ma' Gaddafi, izda x'ried ifisser dan?

Meta Amanda u ommha Emma jergaw jiltaqaw, jintroducu lilhom infushom b'isimhom ghalkemm jafu min huma. Surreali daqs l-affarijiet li jigru wara. Hemm storja fi storja - naraw l-avventuri ta' Castillo li Cathy, Catherine, Kitty, K. Penza kienet tikteb. Cathy kienet iz-zija ta' Amanda li inqatlet b'bomba fit-80ijiet, pero qisha ghandha lehen xorta, grazzi ghall-karattri ohrajn u r-rumazi taghha.

Cathy kienet naqa elitista, u Emma kienet omofobika, pero kienu jhobbu lil xulxin ghalkemm ma tantx kienu jafu lil xulxin.

Amanda, ma nafx tghogobnix bhala karattru, pero realistika u mhux perfetta.

Azzoppardi ma tibzax milli tuza ismijiet u brands. Hemm repetizzjoni ta' konversazzjonijiet bi hlejjiet differenti. Hemm repetizzjoni fil-movimenti ukoll; Emma fid-dar ta Cathy, Amanda fid-dar ta' Cathy, Amanda fid-dar ta' Emma. Xi kultant, Azzoppardi titraduci litteratura tat-tfal u oltre ghall-Malti, u tghati impressjoni kemm tkun sabiha bil-Malti. Il-qxur tal-kotba ta' Azzoppardi ukoll huma specjali, mhux biss il-kontenut imma il-qoxra dejjem ikollha xi haga zejda, b'mod sabih.

L-istorja, jew l-istejjer, jimxu fuq il-frazi 'allura sallura, aghmel pass u erga' lura'. Imhawda sew il-bicca tax-xoghol, pero ir-realta' hekk hi. Fl-ahhar tkun trid iktar, imma dak hemm. L-iktar bicca li ghogbitni hija meta Amanda kienet tmur tara lil Anne, il-partner taz-zija Cathy.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has certainly given me.... feelings. I recall a lot of furore around this book in the local scene when it was snubbed by the awards and, whilst I don't necessarily agree, I can understand.

If satisfying crime mysteries is what you're after, I strongly suggest to leave this book on the shelf. It's a book that leaves you thinking, with enough clues to form your own conclusions.

Whilst I appreciate the sentiment of the author, I found it didn't move me much and left me with a tingling sense of frustration. Maybe if I read it during the slower paced winter months, not during the stifling summer heat, it would have amused me more!