Those of you who've read An Idea About My Dead Uncle know that Dante's Inferno plays a significant role in it, not least because it's the basis for the string trio Infernal Variations, which the book's narrator, composer Jason Lavoie, writes and benefits from. Jason may be fictional, but his trio is now real. In this video presentation, Gustav Doré's engravings provide visual context for each variation's hellish setting.
In which we meet our protagonist, composer/barista Jason Lavoie (La-voy, not La-vwa), who sets the table for the story that follows.
In which a childhood memory illustrates Jason's close relationship with his now-missing Uncle Larry.
In which Jason and Louisa visit St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal, setting up future developments in the narrative.
In which Jason, searching for traces of Uncle Larry in China, encounters the intriguing and annoying Silvio Mondschein.