The Italian Teacher

“The Italian Teacher is a marvel—an entertaining, heartbreaking novel about art, family, loyalty, and authenticity. Tom Rachman is an enormously talented writer—this book is alive, from the first page to the last.” ​— Tom Perrotta, author of The Leftovers

It’s 1955, at a party in a lush Roman palazzo. A wealthy American art collector has invited all the expat socialites — plus one of the great painters of modern art, Bear Bavinsky, a brawny, beardy charmer known for his wildly colored (and wildly sexualized) canvases. As Bear regales everyone with tales of his rivals such as Picasso and Pollock, another guest is observing from afar: his wife, Natalie, a superb artist but overlooked. For comfort, she clutches the hand of their son, Pinch, who is 5. This novel is itself a portrait — not depicting the life of the great Bear, nor of Natalie, but of their son, Pinch, who grows up longing to equal his father’s greatness, is sometimes elevated by his old man, sometimes crushed. Until one day, Pinch begins an astonishing plan that’ll change art history forever...

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