SYNOPSIS

Arturo Gerace recounts his childhood and adolescence on the Italian island of Procida where he lived alone most of his time. His mother died after giving birth to him, his father travelled often without ever staying long on the island, and the only person who took care of him was Silvestro, a boy who is also his only friend. But despite the little affection he received, Arturo is very close to his father with whom he had shared good times in his childhood. One day he returns home with his new wife, Nunziata, and Arturo’s life is turned upside down by feelings he has never experienced before: jealousy, hate and love.

REVIEW

Initially, I was not enthusiastic about reading this novel, and after the first few chapters I was almost tempted to abandon reading it. Then, however, the plot became more interesting and the impeccable style of the author contributed to making me feel conflicting emotions towards the protagonists and stimulated my curiosity in wanting to know how the story ended.
The author used a first-person narrator that is the main character and manages to win over the reader with her spontaneous language and her way of conveying emotions.
Furthermore, accuracy is a characteristic that distinguishes the entire novel. The characters are well defined physically and psychologically. The island and the house are described with abstract and concrete adjectives that help to understand the feelings in those places. The direct and indirect speech are never disconnected and flow easily between a few but intense dialogues. The theme is perceived in the protagonist’s behaviours and decisions and is well treated throughout the story. Finally, time is held in the most significant moments of the narration and passes quickly when it is necessary to omit irrelevant information.