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Published Dec 2015
160 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
From the author of the international bestseller The Solitude of Prime Numbers, an exquisite portrait of marriage, adulthood, and the meaning of family.
Paolo Giordano's prizewinning debut novel, The Solitude of Prime Numbers, catapulted the young Italian author into the literary spotlight. His new novel features his trademark character-driven narrative and intimate domestic setting that first made him an international sensation.
When Signora A first enters the narrator's home, his wife, Nora, is experiencing a difficult pregnancy. First as their maid and nanny, then their confidante, this older woman begins to help her employers negotiate married life, quickly becoming the glue in their small household. She is the steady, maternal influence for both husband and wife, and their son, Emanuele, whom she protects from his parents' expectations and disappointments. But the family's delicate fabric comes undone when Signora A is diagnosed with cancer. Moving seamlessly between the past and present, Giordano highlights with remarkable precision the joy of youth and the fleeting nature of time. An elegiac, heartrending, and deeply personal portrait of marriage and the people we choose to call family, this is a jewel of a novel - short, intense, and unforgettable.
Translated by Anne Milano Appel.
"Starred Review. Layer by layer, Giordano (The Solitude of Prime Numbers) peels back personal connections to ask: What is family? For that matter, what is love? In this case, a woman's simple story confirms Giordano as a writer who understands contemporary science and the complexities of human relationships." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. Giordano won Italy's Premio Strega Prize for his first novel, The Solitude of Prime Numbers, and followed up with an acclaimed second novel, The Human Body; this third novel should earn him well-deserved international praise once again. Its themes are universal, and it will appeal to anyone who treasures the gifts of others." - Library Journal
"A lovely remembrance played in a minor key." - Kirkus
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Paolo Giordano is the author of the critically acclaimed Like Family and The Human Body, and the international bestseller The Solitude of Prime Numbers, which has been translated into more than forty languages, as well as his new publication, How Contagion Works. Giordano has a PhD in particle physics and is now a full-time writer. He lives in Italy.
Name Pronunciation
Paolo Giordano: approximately pow-lo jaw-darno
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