THE CURSE OF PIETRO HOUDINI

The artist, a pontificating, grandiose soul calling himself Pietro Houdini, gives the boy, Massimo, an eye-opening education in art and survival. He shares his plan of painting over three undiscovered masterpieces by Titian and somehow sneaking them out of the abbey—“the first art heist inside an art heist in the history of the world.” Massimo shocks himself by becoming involved in acts of violence against the Nazis, a number of whom are roaming the abbey among the monks in search of paintings and manuscripts to haul away in trucks. Midway through the novel, Houdini, secretly tormented over a decision he made regarding his activist wife, confesses a family secret and Massimo reveals something even more surprising about himself. Between Nazi atrocities, a wave of rapes by Allied Moroccan troops, and the massive American bombing of Montecassino, gruesome outcomes await a cast of likable characters, leaving us rooting for the battle-hardened teen to make it south to Naples. Miller can be oddly detached from the shootings and stabbings, but he is otherwise a splendid storyteller. Narrated from 40 years in the future, the novel works equally well as wartime tale, heist thriller, coming-of-age story, and sweeping history and art lesson. It’s also a brilliant set piece in which the abbey, “a fortress in the clouds,” is a major character. And let’s hear it also for Ferrari, the mule who overcomes injuries to lend his own brand of heroism.