This is the first book in a series of four (the second of which is already sitting on my bedside table) from an author who kept her identity in secret for many years. I had no idea of that, or even any clue or hint of the story when I started reading it.
The book was a birthday gift from a person who seemed to really love it. Since I know she likes good literature, I started reading with confidence and let me tell you: I was not disappointed!
The story is about 2 really different friends, living in a poor neighborhood near Naples. They grow up dealing with poverty, lack of education and money, violence surrounding them and, as any other person, they have their own egos to deal with. Throughout the book, we’ll see them deal with so many forces that unite them and forces that tear them apart. The atmosphere around them shows a reality that I only heard about in my mother’s or grandmother’s stories, but I think that actually helped to develop some affinity with the characters.
We feel involved in the story and the characters almost without notice. We go from “I’m not sure what’s happening here” to “Oh God, what is going to happen next?” at a moment’s notice.
The story is about friendship, but it doesn’t merely stick to that. It’s about dreams and life choices, and how to deal with the consequences of both.
I like the strength it transmits, the idea of fighting for what you want, but also the feeling of reality it also gives us, the way it says that even fighting with all we have, sometimes, it just isn’t possible.
It’s not about living happily ever after, it’s about fighting for every second of happiness you can get.
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