The mayor's tongue

Nathaniel Rich

From a precociously talented young writer alreadywidely admired in the literary world, TheMayor's Tongue is a bold, vertiginous debut novelthat unfolds in two complementary narratives,one following a young man and the other an oldman. The young man is Eugene Brentani, aflamewith a passion for literature and language, and adevotee of the reclusive author and adventurerConstance Eakins, now living in Italy. The oldman is Mr. Schmitz, whose wife is dying, and,confused and terrified, he longs to confide inhis dear friend Rutherford. But Rutherford hasdisappeared, and his letters, postmarked fromItaly, become more and more ominous as theweeks pass.In separate but resonating story lines, bothmen's adventures take them from New York Cityto the mountainous borderlands of northernItaly, where the line between reality and imaginationbegins to blur and stories take on a life oftheir own. Here, we are immersed in Rich's vivid,enchanting world full of captivating characters—the despairing Enzo, who wanders looking for anameless love; the tiny, doll-like guide, Lang; andthe grotesque Eakins. Over this strange, spectrallandscape looms the Mayor, a mythic and monstrousfigure considered a "beautiful creator" byhis townspeople, whose pull ultimately becomesirresistible.From a young writer of exceptional promise, thisrefreshingly original novel is a meditation onthe frustrations of love, the madness of mayors,the failings of language, and the transformativepowers of storytelling.