Author: Elizabeth Lowry
What makes a reliable narrator? Someone who observes keenly, who doesn't have a personal stake in the events at hand, whose vision isn't clouded by mind-altering substance or illnesses. Thomas Lynch has none of these characteristics, and as he tells the story of The Bellini Madonna, I was alternately confused, repulsed and charmed by the story.
Lynch, a former art history professor specializing in the works of Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini, has been searching for a lost Madonna. His quest leads him to wrangle himself an invitation to a rundown estate in the English countryside, where he believes the painting is hidden. During the weeks he stays there, he doesn't know if he's the one doing the duping, or if he's being duped by the women who live in the home. Lynch is almost completely unlikeable as a person, and it can be hard to follow the narrative at times (a drunken narrator isn't very reliable), but the book is still pretty enjoyable, and the dynamic between Lynch and the women in the home is entertaining.
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