Teddy Visconti
The married Italian diplomat Sally dates early in Paris, whose wounded response to their breakup complicates her belief that every affair can remain casual.
To turn his affair with Sally into a more lasting relationship after his marriage begins to collapse.
The book
At a glance
- Italian diplomat
- Married when he begins seeing Sally
- Sally’s older lover
Who they are in the book
Spoiler-freeTeddy is older, socially experienced, married, and already attached to another mistress. Sally assumes this arrangement makes their own affair unserious by definition.
When his wife leaves and Sally ends the relationship, he reveals that he had imagined a future with her, making him both comic complication and evidence of emotional asymmetry.
How the book draws them
- Middle-aged Italian manHis age and position distinguish him from Sally’s student and theater circle.
- Elegant suitDiplomatic polish is part of his social identity.
- Expressive faceHis hurt is harder to conceal than Sally expects.
- Worldly bearingExperience does not prevent romantic disappointment.
- Close engraved bustNo embassy or restaurant setting appears.
- Muted ochre accentWarm restraint separates him from Larry.
Sally leaves Teddy for the possibility of Larry. Later Teddy helps expose Larry’s exploitation and passport scheme.
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