“The story of the bewilderment of a generation that grew up between two worlds” la Repubblica
“Manzon is a writer that sounds feelings out and digs in people’s lives. This is a very contemporary, ambitious novel” Corriere della Sera
A novel on the power of stories as in IT by Stephen King and A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter.
“There is no one harder to rescue than a couple who have ruined each other.”
Lizzie is fickle, self-centred, charming, and reckless: a natural-born dictator. Adrian is shy, clumsy, and incapable of daring, yet led by dangerous desires. They come to know each other at the Aquarium, a large entertainment company, a place where feelings and dreams are transformed into digital worlds.
Instead of dating, they write each other every night: a problem for two people who believe that by making a story beautiful they can make it real. The more they remains in their fantasies, the more their love thrives. But who is Adrian really? A devoted lover, or a pitiless tyrant? A real person or a fake? Above all, what does Lizzie know about him? Why isn’t she scared when she realizes the inconsistencies in his story?
In the background, a vivid Milan – with its quirks, rooftops and party nights, alcohol and drugs – and a wild and poetic Trieste, a place people are compelled to leave. Milan is glamour and ambition; it’s a sparkling dinner table full of smart people ready to sell their dearest desires to climb the company ladder. Trieste is the promise of real life, of life as it should be and must be, but also an unsustainable promise that makes you feel all that is missing.
Held in the grip of their love story, Adrian and Lizzie grieve over something that will never happen, and long for a magnificent time that is irremediably lost and regretted.
A limpid and compelling tale about identity and the necessity of hiding it, about a time in which the truth is always behind a screen and authenticity seems outdated, but also a tale of childhood and forgotten games and the rules of attraction. A lyrical and clear-sighted novel that understands with rare precision the age in which we live, but above all a story about how hard it is to understand each other when we’re in love, or when love is only a beautiful story.
Federica Manzon
Federica Manzon was born in Pordenone. She is the author of the novels Come si dice addio (2008), Di fama e di sventura (2011, Premio Rapallo Carige, Premio Campiello Selezione Giuria dei Letterati, Premio Asti d’Appello) and La nostalgia degli altri (2017). In 2015, she edited the book I mari di Trieste. Her writings have appeared in severals magazines, anthologies and collections. She has worked as foreign fiction editor at Mondadori, and is currently in charge of the development of educational projects at Scuola Holden. She is editor of the literary magazine Nuovi Argomenti and contributes to the festival Pordenonelegge. She lives in Milan, sometimes in Trieste. Her most recent book is Il bosco del confine (2020).
Press
La nostalgia degli altri, a selected press review
Link
Federica Manzon on Twitter
Video
Federica Manzon on Radio Radicale at Tempo di Libri Bookfair
Federica Manzon with Massimo Recalcati at La Feltrinelli Duomo
“The story of the bewilderment of a generation that grew up between two worlds” la Repubblica
“The nostalgia of others is us” Il Gazzettino
“Manzon is a writer that sounds feelings out and digs in people’s lives. This is a very contemporary, ambitious novel” Corriere della Sera