Review | ‘Villa Coco’ by Andrew Sean Greer: love, chaos and a jolly Tuscan romp
Andrew Sean Greer's new novel, 'Villa Coco', follows a young American man who finds himself working for a wealthy baroness in Tuscany. The review highlights the book's languorous prose and themes of privilege, chaos, and coming-of-age.
Why it matters
It provides a critical perspective on contemporary literature and the portrayal of socio-economic privilege in fiction.
What happens when a 21-year-old, white, gay American man “near the end of the millennium” has a college major in archives and record management, but no plans for the future? Call it karmic lottery, socio-economic privilege, or plain good ol’ luck, but things begin to fall into place for him.
In the fictional universe created by Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer in his new novel Villa Coco, the protagonist Geoffrey’s college adviser feels sorry for him, and finds him a seemingly fancy overseas job. It involves relocating to the Italian countryside to assist a baroness who has amassed a fortune: paintings, books, jewellery, artefacts, and a never-ending supply of stories that hold him under her spell.
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