Dead Dog in the Still of the Night by Archimede Fusillo (Ford Street Publishing)
PB RRP $18.95
ISBN 978-1925000344
Reviewed by Francine Sculli
Dead Dog in the Still
of the Night is Archimede Fusillo’s fifth novel for the young adult
readership. Like his other novels, this story takes us on a very real and
relatable journey through the turbulent life of Primo.
Primo is trying to finish his VCE, but things at home aren’t
making it easy. His Italian father, riddled with paranoia and delusions from
the onset of dementia, is an ailing womaniser now in a home. His Irish mother
is exhausted and depleted, not only from looking after his father, but also
from years of forgiving her husband’s infidelities that have torn the family
apart. Primo’s brother, Adrian, has followed in his father’s footsteps and has
moved back home after his wife caught him cheating with another woman, Crystal,
who is now making things even more difficult for Adrian. If that weren’t
enough, Primo’s own relationship with his girlfriend Maddie is on unsteady
ground.
Primo is angry at his father and brother for their actions,
disappointed that his mother kept forgiving his father and confused at how his
life became such a mess. Buckling under the pressure of it all, Primo makes the
wrong decision to take his father’s dust collecting, prized Fiat 500 classic
red car – Bambino – out for a drive to see Maddie. But the car far from
impresses Maddie and after an argument about a broken promise, Primo reels the
car out of control and crashes the passenger door. Desperate to fix it before
anyone in the family finds out, Primo asks his best mate, Tones, for help. The
crash leads Primo and Tones down an unredeemable path that isn’t so easy to
turn back. A series of events – a dead dog, a mindless scare, the bashing of
his brother Adrian, confrontations with Crystal’s brother and the unravelling
of the family – force Primo to make some hard decisions about the type of life
he wants.
This story races through uneasy terrain, shedding light on
and raising questions about family, trust, friendship, promises, betrayal,
forgiveness, strength, consequences, finding oneself and the choices we make.
Fusillo does this with a touch of heart-warming grace. The characters in Dead Dog in the Still of the Night fly
off the page and dialogue is colloquial and fast-paced. His turn of phrase,
written in such a hard hitting and artful manner, takes readers right into the
heart of this story and keeps them there.
