The Real Thing – ft. Gur Benshemesh (Part 2)

Welcome back to the Real Thing and part two of our chat with Gur Benshemesh.  Today we talk about the tension of having a moral compass in the mafia, and when killing your family may be the most sensible option.  Details of Silence & Co. will be discussed during the interview and may spoil parts of the story for those who have not yet read the work.

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When we meet Alexander Marazano, the protagonist of Silence & Co., he’s already pretty disillusioned by the work he does and yet he seems pretty committed to the work.  How do you explain that tension?

In terms of the character arc that I was trying to work with Alex, we meet him at a very interesting point.  He’s in his late twenties and he’s done the mob thing and the army thing and now he’s back [in the mob] and at the top of his game, but he’s starting to question it.  There is money, there is women, and there is power and there is big houses, but there’s always a cost to everything to being part of that world and maintaining that power.  He sees Vincent, his dad and this big mob boss, and Saul, his uncle and this rich and powerful mob figure, and he’s not sure whether he wants to follow in their footsteps and become the biggest and baddest name in the mafia, or whether it’s not for him and he wants to go off and find something on his own that isn’t a legacy from his family.

He sees that yes, there is power and money and it’s glamorous, but the day-to-day is simply not worth it.  That’s the discovery he makes, but every person has to make that decision for himself, right?  Donald Trump apparently still needs more money and more power and bigger hair and more hairspray.