Ken Brigham

The Life and Deaths of Blanche Nero Ken Brigham

At fifteen, Blanche Nero watches the electrocution of her Italian immigrant father, punishment for an inexplicable, brutal murder he has committed. She resolves to do something with her life that values humanity over justice, mercy over sacrifice. After a grueling but successful academic career, Blanche is almost sixty. Her long career as a trauma surgeon in New Orleans has been abruptly ended by Hurricane Katrina. She leases a small flat in Venice, seeking an understanding of her father in the place where he lived his formative years. On a cold morning in Piazza San Marco, Blanche meets Count Lorenzo Ludovici (Ludo), an aging, elegant, and mortally ill Venetian. As he introduces her to his beautiful city and his health deteriorates, Blanche becomes ever more fond of the count. Through a series of conversations, Blanche and Ludo discover each of them has private knowledge of interlocking pieces of their history. Blanche feels sadness of a depth that she has not felt before, but also a new sense of liberation.