CAMILLERI'S CONSCIENCE

I am about half way through reading Rounding The Mark, and Andrea Camilleri once again is exploring some powerful themes.

As the story begins Montalbano is about to resign in disgust over the behaviour of the police in dealing with the protesters at the G8 meeting in Genoa. He goes for a swim to relax, and comes across a dead body in the sea, which he drags to shore.

There is an investigation to find out whose body it is, but Montalbano seems more concerned at the shabby treatment of the illegal immigrants, who risk the sea crossing from Africa to reach the shores of Sicily.

There is a deep moral validity in the case put by Camilleri through his caring detective Salvo Montalbano, but can Europe take in all who want to enter our countries.

Will opening our borders to too many people destroy the very things that make our countries so desireable to immigrants?

I read crime fiction to relax , but reading this Camilleri novel there is no easy escape from harsh reality.

My own experience travelling in Italy is that all Italians are not as caring as Montalbano, perhaps feeling that they are on the front line facing a problem that will get more testing in the future.