Invariably picturing Annan's role in a favorable light, Shawcross fuses descriptions of his trips with explanations of the way the conflicts developed and character portraits of the local protagonists.
Lest we be accused of intellectual imperialism, this strategy does not de-emphasize the key role of local protagonists in providing long-term sustainable solutions.
It does include a detour into local politics, when the protagonist (played by Kevin Spacey) interrupts his high-political scheming in the nation's capital to lance a political boil in his home county of Gaffney, South Carolina.
The stories are set in a small Italian town, and involve three protagonists: the local priest Don Camillo; the mayor Peppone; and the church's Christ statue, which Don Camillo consults regularly for advice and which answers.
He published a dialect dictionary, Pitmatic, and several collections of dialect literature and recipes, plus a history of the Northern Sinfonia, as well as turning his hand to writing ghost stories, whose first protagonists were local councillors caught in dubious machinations.
"You always like to say," the protagonist of "Locals," a musician turned contractor, insists, "that if you were young and starting out again you'd do this or you'd do that, but I don't think anybody seriously means it, and it's not going to happen anyway.
During which our protagonist challenges a local competitor to a shaving competition.
Moved to investigate the death of a local girl, 13-year-old protagonist Charlie Bucktin Levi Millerr) picks up In Cold Blood at the library, and minutes later is slipped a copy of Breakfast at Tiffany's – mysterious note inside – by local Holly Eliza Wishart Angourie RiceWishartheAngourie Rice), the sister of the dead girl.
Engineers with expertise in biology, mechanics, computation and the design process are protagonists in many local corporations and hospitals.
The pace may be stately, but a humane and appealing protagonist and plenty of local colour make this an engrossing and enjoyable read.
