“It’s that there are seven billion people in the world. But basically they are divided into two categories. There are those we love. And then there are all the others.”
Live the moment. Be aware of that single moment in life, when everything is going to change in a way that we dare not imagine. It doesn’t matter if it happens against our will or caused by us. That moment is Now.
The two main characters, Pietro Lucernari and Lidia Frezzani, are a clear mirror of contemporary society. Both of them with a shipwrecked marriage on their shoulders, grappling with the underground need denied to somehow get back in the game, both sexually and emotionally. What prevents Pietro and Lidia from definitely take off in their life? The simple burden of present responsibilities and past love experiences, which punctually come to knock, with their load of recriminations.
Reading in its own way flows pleasantly, and one is accompanied within the lives of the two protagonists almost without realizing it. The relationships with the former spouses (easier for Lidia and more complicated for Pietro), the children (only Pietro) and with the usual circle of friends-colleagues-lovers ready to beg their share of attentions.
Unfortunately with the succession of the pages there is the lack of something indefinite, of a shocking event in the narration, which in line with what was reported for the two characters, that does not allow the story to make the big leap. May it be a specific desire of the author?
The idea of inserting the potential curriculum vitae of the protagonists is very appreciated A precise selection of the strengths and weaknesses of each potential lover, just to know in advance what to expect in a future life together, for better or for worse. Maybe it could be applied in everyday life!
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Chiara Gamberale, Now, Feltrinelli, Milano, 2016
