Author:
Viola Ardone
Publisher:
Einaudi Stile Libero
Release Date:
23-09-2025
https://www.carmenprestia.com/viola-ardone/https://www.carmenprestia.com/viola-ardone/Kostya ha dieci anni quando si mette in viaggio per arrivare dalla nonna Irina, domestica a Napoli. Nello zaino, la foto di una madre mai conosciuta e un indirizzo. Suo padre è al fronte per difendere l’Ucraina appena invasa. Tra soldati che cercano di bloccarlo al confine e sconosciute che gli dànno una mano, il bambino riesce ad arrivare. Vita, la signora per cui la nonna lavora, lo scopre addormentato sullo zerbino. Quattro anni fa lei ha perso suo figlio e ora passa le giornate da sola, o con Irina, che ha letto Dante e parla italiano come un poeta del Duecento. Il piccolo ospite inatteso la costringe di nuovo in quel ruolo che il destino le ha tolto. Poi, quando il padre di Kostya è dato per disperso, Irina torna nel suo Paese a cercarlo. D’impulso, Vita decide di raggiungerla, per aiutarla. Tentare di salvare un altro, del resto, è l’unico modo per salvare noi stessi.Kostya is ten years old when he sets off alone in search of his grandmother Irina, a housekeeper in Naples. In his backpack, he carries a photo of the mother he never knew and an address. His father is at the front, fighting to defend Ukraine in the wake of the invasion. Between soldiers trying to stop him at the border and strangers who choose to help, Kostya somehow makes it. Until he’s found asleep on a doormat in Naples by Vita, the woman Irina works for. Vita has been living in quiet isolation since losing her son four years earlier. Her only companion is Irina, who quotes Dante and speaks Italian like a 13th-century poet. The sudden arrival of this determined, fragile boy upends Vita’s life and slowly pulls her back into a role fate had once taken from her. But when news comes that Kostya’s father is reported missing, Irina decides to return to her homeland to search for him. On a sudden impulse, Vita follows her. Because sometimes, the only way to save yourself is by trying to save someone else.
Kostya is ten years old when he sets off alone in search of his grandmother Irina, a housekeeper in Naples. In his backpack, he carries a photo of the mother he never knew and an address. His father is at the front, fighting to defend Ukraine in the wake of the invasion. Between soldiers trying to stop him at the border and strangers who choose to help, Kostya somehow makes it. Until he’s found asleep on a doormat in Naples by Vita, the woman Irina works for. Vita has been living in quiet isolation since losing her son four years earlier. Her only companion is Irina, who quotes Dante and speaks Italian like a 13th-century poet. The sudden arrival of this determined, fragile boy upends Vita’s life and slowly pulls her back into a role fate had once taken from her. But when news comes that Kostya’s father is reported missing, Irina decides to return to her homeland to search for him. On a sudden impulse, Vita follows her. Because sometimes, the only way to save yourself is by trying to save someone else.
