Andrew Sean Greer releases new novel Villa Coco

Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer has released his new novel, ‘Villa Coco’, published by La nave di Teseo. Presented at the Pordenonelegge festival, the book is set in the hills of Tuscany during the late 1990s.

The story follows Geoffrey, a young American archivist tasked with cataloging a mysterious art collection at a villa owned by the eccentric Baroness Lisabetta, known as Coco. Through his interactions with the Baroness and her circle of artists and servants, the protagonist undergoes a journey of self-discovery, challenging his American sensibilities and rigid adherence to rules.

Greer, who splits his time between San Francisco and Venice, noted that he aimed to move away from romanticized American clichés of Italy. He described the work as a ‘novel of fascination’ that balances a light, romantic surface with deeper themes of authenticity and invention.