About this item
Highlights
- Shortlisted for the 2022 Italian Prose in Translation AwardOne of the most exciting new voices in Italian literature brings to life a hauntingly beautiful story of undying love, loss, and resilience, and a fierce, unforgettable new heroineMeet Nives: widow, Tuscan through-and-through, survivor.
- Author(s): Sacha Naspini
- 144 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Psychological
Description
Book Synopsis
Shortlisted for the 2022 Italian Prose in Translation Award
One of the most exciting new voices in Italian literature brings to life a hauntingly beautiful story of undying love, loss, and resilience, and a fierce, unforgettable new heroine
Meet Nives: widow, Tuscan through-and-through, survivor. Nives has recently lost her husband of fifty years. She didn't cry when she found him dead in the pig pen, she didn't cry at the funeral, but now loneliness has set in. When she decides to bring her favorite chicken inside for company, she is shocked, confused, and a little bit guilty to discover that the chicken's company is a more than adequate replacement for her dead husband.
But one day, Giacomina goes stiff in front of the tv. Unable to rouse the paralyzed chicken, Nives has no choice but to call the town veterinarian, Loriano Bottai, an old acquaintance of hers. What follows is a phone call that seems to last a lifetime, a phone call that becomes a novel. Their conversation veers from the chicken to the past--to the life they once shared, the secrets they never had the courage to reveal, wounds that never healed.
Nives reverberates with the kinds of stories we tell ourselves at night when we cannot sleep: stories of love lost, of abandonment, of silent and heart-breaking nostalgia, of joy, laughter, and despair. With delicate yet sharp prose and raw, astonishing honesty, Sacha Naspini bravely explores the core of our shared humanity.
Review Quotes
"The dramatic concision of this story in tandem with its wide scope reminded me of Edith Wharton...Emotions whiplash and the most unexpected of secrets and epiphanies emerge... This delightful and affecting novella affirms the truth of Emily Dickinson's famous line: 'Hope is the thing with feathers'."--Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air
"Touching, heartfelt... Nives is the reckoning of a woman blindsided by the unexpected. Fans of Elisabeth Egan, Marian Keyes, and Isabel Allende will appreciate the care and compassion Naspini takes with Nives' journey of self-awareness, self-reliance, and self-acceptance. A delightful story of the muddled, confusing time of love after loss."--Stephanie Turza, Booklist
"A slim, sharply pointed knife of a novel."--Kirkus Reviews
"[Nives] inspires readers to tell our stories with humor, passion, and gratitude."--Mari's Book Reviews
"Truly surprising."--Complete Review
"As immediate and spellbinding as a two-character play...Naspini is excellent at conjuring characters and situations."--La Stampa
"Nives carries a powerful message of female emancipation: it's impossible not to root for the title character as she reclaims her place in the world after a whole life spent in men's shadow."--Critica Letteraria