'As God Commands' by Niccolò Ammaniti

When it comes to crime novels, the word "grit" suggests both authenticity and earthiness -- rude language, rough humor, animality, graphic details. It's the intrusion of the body -- physical reality -- into an otherwise cerebral exercise. Grit is what reminds us that our salad grew out of the mud.

By Regina Marler

November 23, 2009