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A review by kimbofo
The House on the Hill by Cesare Pavese
5.0
First published in 1948, Cesare Pavese’s novella The House on the Hill is set in Italy during the Second World War.
Said to be based on the author’s own wartime experiences, it recounts the tale of a school teacher who falls in with a group of anti-fascists but can’t quite commit to their cause because he’d rather lead a quiet life.
The book explores notions of self-preservation versus altruism and examines the concept of collective moral responsibility in the face of war.
Set in and around Turin, in 1943, it shows how the Italian people, living under a Fascist regime aligned with Nazi Germany, tried to continue their normal day-to-day activities while their evenings were beset by the terror of bombs and fires.
It is against this backdrop that Corrado, a young unmarried man, lives his life, teaching in a school by day and escaping to a house on the hill at night. He rents a room in the house, occupied by two live-in landladies and their dog, and occasionally feels guilty for “escaping the sirens every evening, hiding away in a cool room, stretched out on my bed in safety”.
It is from the vantage point on the hill that he can often hear laughter and frivolity rising up from the valley, and when he traces those sounds he comes across a group of local partisans, who gather to drink and sing in a house-turned-tavern every night.
He joins them socially when he realises an old flame, Cate, is part of the group but stops short of signing up to their movement.
Later, when Fascist leader Benito Mussolini is imprisoned and the Germans begin occupying Italian territory, Corrado must make an important decision: should he take up arms and join the partisans, or continue living his relatively stable and uninterrupted life where he has a roof over his head and food on the table every day?
The book charts what happens next, and it’s not quite as straightforward as Corrado might have imagined.
Told in a self-reflective, self-aware and often resigned voice, The House on the Hill gives us a glimpse of one man’s moral uncertainty and indecision at a time of great violence and political uncertainty.
For a more detailed review, please visit my blog.
Said to be based on the author’s own wartime experiences, it recounts the tale of a school teacher who falls in with a group of anti-fascists but can’t quite commit to their cause because he’d rather lead a quiet life.
The book explores notions of self-preservation versus altruism and examines the concept of collective moral responsibility in the face of war.
Set in and around Turin, in 1943, it shows how the Italian people, living under a Fascist regime aligned with Nazi Germany, tried to continue their normal day-to-day activities while their evenings were beset by the terror of bombs and fires.
It is against this backdrop that Corrado, a young unmarried man, lives his life, teaching in a school by day and escaping to a house on the hill at night. He rents a room in the house, occupied by two live-in landladies and their dog, and occasionally feels guilty for “escaping the sirens every evening, hiding away in a cool room, stretched out on my bed in safety”.
It is from the vantage point on the hill that he can often hear laughter and frivolity rising up from the valley, and when he traces those sounds he comes across a group of local partisans, who gather to drink and sing in a house-turned-tavern every night.
He joins them socially when he realises an old flame, Cate, is part of the group but stops short of signing up to their movement.
Later, when Fascist leader Benito Mussolini is imprisoned and the Germans begin occupying Italian territory, Corrado must make an important decision: should he take up arms and join the partisans, or continue living his relatively stable and uninterrupted life where he has a roof over his head and food on the table every day?
The book charts what happens next, and it’s not quite as straightforward as Corrado might have imagined.
Told in a self-reflective, self-aware and often resigned voice, The House on the Hill gives us a glimpse of one man’s moral uncertainty and indecision at a time of great violence and political uncertainty.
For a more detailed review, please visit my blog.