A tiny Italian village facing destitution catches a whiff of hope in the vivacious, feel-good comedy Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton (Hollow Kingdom, Feral Creatures).
The village of Lazzarini Boscarino has seen better days. Tourists only come into town if they're lost, and all the bars and restaurants have closed save Bar Celebrità, which "could perhaps use one of the potent espressos made by its bartender." The village's first female mayor, Delizia--who narrowly won the election against "a donkey of legal drinking age"--faces the unenviable task of telling her constituents that the village is on the verge of bankruptcy. Then local truffle hunter Giovanni's prized truffle dog, Aria, unearths an amazing surprise: a white truffle of record size, worth more than its weight in gold. The sale of this astonishing fungus could save Lazzarini Boscarino, but the drama and upheaval caused by its discovery ripples through the villagers' lives and relationships, and may leave the village with little to save. A stolen key, a missing person, and a dubious psychic foretelling add to the turmoil.
Buxton's prose meanders through poetic descriptive passages like a traveler taking a stroll through a wood dappled with golden Italian sunlight. The sheer hilarity of her characterizations and situations stands in striking, brilliant counterpoint to the sophistication of the imagery. Readers see the story's action through many points of view, from the main human characters to the animals and wildlife who inhabit Lazzarini Boscarino. This Tuscan romp is best savored over Chianti or espresso with friends who like to hear funny passages read aloud. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads