To respect member's privacy and keep things awesome, most of Litsy is hidden from Google. We let humans see and share pages, but not machines. Find out more.
The bestselling author of Im Not Scared beautifully evokes the lopsided streets of an Italian backwater . . . the shadow life of childhood (The New Yorker). Italian literary superstar Niccol Ammanitis novel, Im Not Scared, prompted gushing praise, hit international bestseller lists, and was made into a smash indie film. In Ill Steal You Away, Ammaniti takes his unparalleled empathy for children, his scythe-sharp observations, and his knack for building tension to a whole new level. In a tiny Italian village, a young boy named Pietro is growing up tormented by bullies and ignored by his parents. When an aging playboy, Graziano Biglia, returns to town, a change is in the air: Pietro decides to take on the bullies, his lonely teacher Flora finds romance with the towns prodigal son, and the inept janitor at the school proclaims his love for his favorite prostitute. But the village isnt ready for such change, and when Graziano seduces and forgets Flora, both she and Pietros tentative hopes seem crushed forever. With great tenderness, Ammaniti shines light on the heart-wrenching failures and quiet redemptions of ordinary people trying to live extraordinary lives. Deliciously languorous . . . Ammaniti has a Dickensian touch for character study . . . Ill Steal You Away will do just that. The New York Times Book Review A snapshot of small-town Italian life that could be, just as easily, a tale of small-town American life . . . Ammaniti weaves almost seamlessly between his characters as they spiral slowly toward their inevitable sad conclusions. A- Entertainment Weekly Chilling and intimate, Ammanitis work brings life to a deceptively quiet town and its wealth of eclectic and unsettling residents. Publishers Weekly (starred review)