Va' dove ti porta il cuore  (Follow Your Heart) by Susanna Tamaro

One of the bestselling Italian novels of recent years, Va' dove ti porta il cuore is a bittersweet story that takes the form of a letter written by an elderly woman to her granddaughter, from whom she is estranged. Knowing that her death is imminent, the grandmother writes, “As I wander the rooms of this house in solitude, the misunderstandings and volatility of our years together have all but disappeared. The memories that come alive are of you as a small child, vulnerable and as yet undefined.  It is to her that I write, and not to the defensive and arrogant person of late….Although I know these words will never take wing and find their way to America, they’ll be here, waiting for you, even if I’m not here upon your return.”

As she looks back over her life, the woman explores universal questions about life and death, love, parent-child relationships, and even profound questions of the soul. Her reflections reveal a life stripped bare in a sort of confessional diary—joys, sorrows, regrets, and thoughts left unspoken. Through the eyes of a grandmother nearing the end of her days, the reader comes to understand what life has taught her:  that no matter what the stakes, everyone must look inward and gather the courage to follow their hearts.

Originally published in Italy, Va' dove ti porta il cuore has sold over 14 million copies in 43 countries. Its author, Susanna Tamaro, has written eleven novels and five children’s books.  She also has directed several films, including the screen adaptation of this novel.

La scoperta dell’alba (The Discovery of the Dawn) by Walter Veltroni

Giovanni Astengo, a middle-aged functionary, works at the Italian State Archives, where he catalogues diaries written by an array of ordinary and extraordinary people.  Deeply scarred by the sudden disappearance of his father when he was a child, Giovanni is devoted to his wife and son but suffers another emotional blow when he learns his newborn daughter has Down Syndrome. Over the years, Stella’s disability reverberates through the family in much the same way as his father’s disappearance years before.
 
Early one August morning when the rest of the family is on vacation, Giovanni follows an impetus to return to his family’s country house, the place of his lost happiness, long since abandoned. He goes inside and spots an old black rotary telephone which, astonishingly, has dial tone.  On a whim, he dials the phone number of his childhood home and is amazed to hear his own 13-year-old voice respond. So begins a Twilight Zone-type sequence of events that culminates with stunning answers to the questions that have haunted Giovanni throughout his adult life.   

This first novel by Walter Veltroni, a prominent Italian politician and former mayor of Rome, evokes the “Leaden (or Bullet) Years” of the 1970s, a dark chapter in Italy’s recent past during which prominent thinkers, politicians, and businessmen were killed or mysteriously disappeared. But the book is also a passionate declaration of love and faith, revealing the intensity of deep-seated emotions and the power of the mind to comprehend hidden meanings that ultimately bring a measure of solace.

Mamma Mia!  The Role of the Mamma as a Deterrent in the Cultural, Social, and Economic Development of Modern Italy  by Fabrizio Blini

If there ever was a book about Italian society someone had to write, this is it. Anyone who has spent time in Italy knows all about Mammismo, the alleged domineering behavior exhibited by Italian mothers. With tongue firmly in cheek, journalist Fabrizio Blini decided to risk accusations of sexism and a skillet across his face to write a “study” of this very Italian phenomenon.

The author asserts, "The idea for this book started with a general malaise, which has been visited upon children of all ages.  Hidden in the deep recesses of the subconscious, this malady has been known to manifest a series of daily-occurring physical symptoms:  nervous tics, bulimia, gastritis, colitis, premature ejaculation, learning disabilities, soccer-fan behavior, auto-erotic stimulus, and erotic behavior in cars.”

Blini considers his views to be PC:  Pathetically Correct.  He invites mamma’s boys to look at themselves in the mirror, accept themselves as they are, and laugh at themselves, recognizing, as Marx once observed, that “mothers are the opiate of children.”

With a light touch and occasional caustic wit, Blini examines not only the mamma’s role in the Italian family, but also the effect of mammismo on Italy’s economic and cultural life. In the process, he says he wants to find the answer to the question, "Who throws in the towel first, man or mamma?" That’s a tough one. At the very least, readers get a hilarious “insider’s” perspective on an interesting gender issue in modern Italian society.

Nel momento (In the Moment) by Andrea De Carlo

In Nel momento, readers familiar with the writing of Andrea De Carlo will recognize characters not unlike those in previous novels: more mature, but equally unsettled nonconformists.

At the outset, Luca falls from a horse, and in that moment of physical pain suddenly becomes aware of his profound unhappiness. Out of boredom and stress, he has abandoned his wife and a successful career as a movie distributor and taken refuge in the Roman countryside.  There, he has become the proprietor of an “alternative” ranch and embarked on a relationship with Anna, a young apprentice.

The shock of the fall brings into focus how unfulfilling his new life and new relationship are.  When Alberta picks up him up after his fall, he immediately feels a connection with her, and they begin a strange friendship that fuels his urgent need for escape—from the countryside, from the horses, from Anna.

Luca follows Alberta to Rome, but remains at loose ends and is unable to reconcile himself with the past until a series of events brings resolution and clarity.

Andrea De Carlo was born in Milan but lives in the Urbino countryside.  His background is in cinema, having worked as an assistant for celebrated Italian film directors Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni.  He is passionate about travel, music, and horses.  His books have been translated into 18 languages.

L'Orda (The Horde) by Gian Antonio Stella

In recent years, an influx of immigrants from North Africa and the Balkans into Italy has caused alarm in some quarters and made immigration a hot-button political issue throughout the country. Against this backdrop,  Gian Antonio Stella looks back at a time, in the not too distant past, when the shoe was on the other foot, "when we were the Albanians."  A fascinating history of Italian emigration over the centuries, The Horde describes what life was like for generations of Italian immigrants. The book clearly was written for a domestic readership (many of whom have relatives in other parts of the world) that increasingly has little tolerance for the wave of poor immigrants who are now beginning to cause a noticeable economic and demographic shift. 

In the not-too-distant past, Italians were depicted in other countries with the same racial epithets that are now hurled at the new Italian underclass; they often were called a ‘damned race of assassins’ and ‘as dirty as pigs.’ Indeed, the files of Italian consulates in the U.S. and elsewhere overflowed with complaints about compatriots who begged, who were filthy, and who were thugs and prostitutes. Even today, many Italians barely carve out a living in major metropolises around the world. Somehow, they are never mentioned in the Italian press.

In the end, Stella argues, there is little difference between Italian emigrants of yesteryear and the East Europeans and North Africans flooding into Europe today. It is really just a question of timing: one group came first, others came later.

Author Gian Antonio Stella, from the Veneto region, is an editor and commentator on politics, economics, and societal mores for Milan’s Corriere della Sera newspaper. 

Il buio e il miele (The Darkness and the Honey) by Giovanni Arpino

Fausto is an Ahab without a whale, a Ulysses with one last odyssey before him. A military officer who has lost his sight and a hand as a result of a peacetime accident, he sets out on a trip from Genoa to Rome, and then on to Naples, where an appointment with death awaits him. He is accompanied by Ciccio, a soldier with whom he forms a secret, silent pact.

A dark, mysterious story, Il buio e il miele is counted among the most important postwar Italian novels.  It was the basis for two films, one an Italian movie starring Vittorio Gassman, the other, Scent of a Woman, starring Al Pacino.

Author Giovanni Arpino, a professional journalist, was one of Italy's most prominent postwar writers and certainly one of its most impassioned.  He wrote other seven novels before Il buio e il miele.