New Yorker Fiction Review #265: "Dietrologia" by Paul Theroux

Review of the short story from the Dec. 7, 2020 issue of The New Yorker...

Paul Theroux -- American travel writer and novelist, author of The Mosquito Coast, among many other works -- used to write about traveling, adventuring, and romancing in far-flung locations. Now he's writing about kindly old men sitting on their porches, telling stories to the neighborhood children. Time catches up with us all. 

In "Dietrologia," an old Italian man living in Hawaii, Sal Frezzolini, sits and talks to a group of local kids who live in his neighborhood, discussing with them various episodes from his life that he struggles to understand. The kids don't really, fully understand either, but for a different reason: they're kids. They mostly marvel at how old Sal is and await the chance to get cookies from his cookie jar. Meanwhile, Sal is at conflict with his wife about the fact they must soon relocate into a smaller home, more suitable to people in their waning years. 

Not exactly gripping stuff, but Paul Theroux has such a way of creating tension, of hinting at the darkness and mystery below the surface, that eventually the story picks up steam and comes to a head as Sal realizes the father of one of the neighborhood children is physically abusing them, and he must make a choice over whether to bring a formal accusation against the man, likely ruining both their lives. 

Dietrologia is an Italian word meaning, literally, conspiracy; however, upon some further research, it appears the word has a more subtle connotation. In common usage, dietrologia is the idea -- basically -- that the surface explanation or appearance of something is rarely the true one. Having spent time in Italy, and being of Italian roots, myself, I feel like this kind of skepticism runs pretty strong in the Italian people. There always seems to be an instinct among Italians to see behind someone's scheme, to read the hidden meaning in someone's actions, and to not take things at face value. I'm sure this is not a characteristic limited to Italians, however, it does seem particularly apt that they have developed a word specifically for this idea. 

I'm not completely bowled over by this latest effort from Paul Theroux, nor is it a completely forgettable story. But I'd have to say it's one that, if you're pressed for time, could probably be skipped over.