Constancy is an exception

Autrice:
Viola Ardone
Casa editrice:
Einaudi Stile Libero
Data di pubblicazione:
19-09-2023

Elba ha il nome di un fiume del Nord: è stata sua madre a sceglierlo. Prima vivevano insieme, in un posto che lei chiama il mezzomondo e che in realtà è un manicomio. Poi la madre è scomparsa e a lei non è rimasto che crescere, compilando il suo Diario dei malanni di mente, e raccontando alle nuove arrivate in reparto dei medici Colavolpe e Lampadina, dell’infermiera Gillette e di Nana la cana. Del suo universo, insomma, il solo che conosce. Almeno finché un giovane psichiatra, Fausto Meraviglia, non si ficca in testa di tirarla fuori dal manicomio, anzi di eliminarli proprio, i manicomi; del resto, è quel che prevede la legge Basaglia, approvata pochi anni prima. Il dottor Meraviglia porta Elba ad abitare in casa sua, come una figlia: l’unica che ha scelto, e grazie alla quale lui, che mai è stato un buon padre, impara il peso e la forza della paternità. Con la sua scrittura intensa, originale, piena di musica, Viola Ardone racconta che l’amore degli altri non dipende mai solo da noi. È questo il suo mistero, ma anche il suo prodigio.

Author:
Alessia Gazzola
Publishing house:
Longanesi
Date of publication:
30-08-2022

From the creator of ThePupil a sweeping new adventure for Constance Macallé and a mystery to solve dating back to late 17th-century Venice.

“Alessia Gazzola reconfirms her skill in keeping up with the times, light but never banal or cloying, always ironic and capable of constructing compelling and entertaining plots, as well as characterizing protagonists very close to many young women of today: in a mix of precariousness and imperfection, they never lose their determination to move forward, toward the new troubles that await them. – Maura Pruneri for Maremosso

Let’s take stock. Constance, after graduating from medical school, was forced to leave her beloved and bright Sicily and move to the cold and melancholy North. Keeping hearts warm, however, is Marco, enchanting father of her lovely Flora whom Costy, not without some uncertainty, has decided to bring into her daughter’s life. After various tribulations, Marco practically left his historical (and definitely perfect) fiancée at the altar. Constance (though definitely flawed) believed that he did it for her, but she is no longer so sure considering that Marco stalls and behaves rather ambiguously. As always, however, there is no room for reflection in Constance’s life: she is a working and precarious mother who is currently convincing herself that she has made the right choice by deciding to leave the Institute of Paleopathology in Verona for a job as an anatomic pathologist in Venice. As if the situation were not complicated enough, former colleagues call her back for a lavishly compensated assignment: the last descendant of an ancient Venetian family, the Almazàn, wishes to uncover the tombs of her ancestors to find out what is true about the slanderous rumors that have cloaked the lineage in mystery for centuries. Constance would not like to accept, but this dark-colored story tickles her curiosity–and then she discovers that Marco is also involved in the operation. Could the construction site be a golden opportunity to find a work-life balance? Or, to put it better: that the construction site could be a golden opportunity to try to understand what is really between her and Marco? With courage, determination and much, much perseverance, this red-haired heroine will face new challenges, unravel ancient plots while trying to understand her heart.