Part of the fun of book fairs is scouring the aisles, looking for the next unannounced hit, for a new favourite. One of the most exciting books at recent Malta Book Fairs was a distinctive new voice in fiction – a writer with an innate feel for dialogue and scene construction, for the theatricality of life. Possibly the most talked-about book at the Fair was in fact Joe Pace’s It-Tielet Teorija, a debut novel about a doctor by day, TV series actor by night, and his obsessions, neuroses and relationships.

The most common first reaction among the initial readers of this book was how accessible the novel is, and how refreshing and enjoyable a read it is. Which, in our books (excuse the pun), is one of the highest compliments an author can be paid.

There is a compulsive readability about Pace’s writing. Characters come to life and situations unfold, and you – the reader – find yourself wanting to read ‘just a few pages more’, and before you know it you’re on the last chapter. There’s a strong black humour streak running through the novel, as Pace plays with his main character, with the problems – small and not so small – that pile up and come his way. The ending, that we will not of course reveal, is one of the most wickedly dark humour chapters that we’ve read recently.

Joe Pace – like his fictional counterpart in It-Tielet Teorija – is a doctor by profession, and a highly respected and experienced actor on stage and TV. This is his first foray into literature, and judging from readers’ reactions it won’t be his last.

An amusing quirk of It-Tielet Teorija is the copious and irreverent use of footnotes. In a sendup of medical tomes, the author – betraying his theatre background – converses with his readers in hilarious and at times cynical asides placed in footnotes sprinkled throughout the novel.

Who will It-Tielet Teorija appeal to? Fans of Guzè Stagno will lap this up, as Stagno and Pace share a gift for compulsive page-turning readability. Readers who enjoy a good narrative, anyone with knowledge of – or interest in – the medical world of hospitals and private practice, and the evening TV series production industry, will likewise love – and identify with – this novel.

Published by Merlin, It-Tielet Teorija was launched on the Merlin stand at the Malta Book Fair earlier this month, during an evening of readings, wine, pastizzi and chocolate truffles. It-Tielet Teorija was in the Top Three books sold on the Merlin stand – a gargantuan achievement considering that Pace is a newcomer to the literary scene, and that his ‘colleagues’ in the Top Three were veteran authors Trevor Zahra and Clare Azzopardi.

Pace’s novel comes beautifully packaged in a cover by Merlin art director Pierre Portelli – a cover visual that invites readers to dive in, read and discover the various elements hinted at thereon.

It-Tielet Teorija is available from all bookshops.