Numero Zero is a novel of two stories: the shooting of Mussolini and his mistress in 1945, and that of Colonna, a writer in 1992 Milan who
accepts the task of ghost-writing a journalist’s memoir.
The journalist in question – Braggadocio – is setting up a newspaper
titled Domani (Tomorrow), financed by a magnate and not intended for actual publication. Instead, the financier’s intention is to ruffle
the feathers of the rich and powerful, in the hope they will bribe him
to shut it down.
A neat set-up, until Braggadocio uncovers a conspiracy involving Mussolini’s death that turns out to be true…
Though it contains all the skilful twists and turns you’d expect from
Eco, it’s certainly not one for those coming to him for the first
time, and the pay-off isn’t sufficiently satisfying. Nonetheless, the
exploration of the nature of the media makes it a novel for our times.
