The Book of Homes - Andrea Bajani

From prizewinning Italian author Andrea Bajani: the secrets of a man and his country as seen through the eyes of the homes that have guarded them. A finalist for Italy's prestigious Strega Prize, The Book of Homes is a remarkable achievement: a sprawling story that unfolds across much of Italy and yet that is told within the confines of the homes of its characters-and often from the point of view of the homes themselves: the many homes that shaped our main character named "I," though the novel is in third-person; the home of I’s childhood companion, a turtle in her shell; the final homes of two figures whose murders shattered a country: a kidnapped, murdered politician; a poet dead in the street, run over by his own car. . . Both chilling and touching, The Book of Homes is an ambitious coming-of-age story unlike any other. One that jumps from home to home, upstairs to downstairs, decade to decade, and slowly reveals the blueprints—the puzzle pieces—to a life’s story. Extraordinary, emotionally resonant, and utterly unique, The Book of Homes affirms Andrea Bajani’s status as a major force in contemporary international literature, and dares readers to consider what they’d be willing to give up in order to keep themselves.