“Writing has a cathartic effect on me; it helps me get rid of life’s anxieties.”
The book tells the story of a mother, Anita, and her son Lorenzo. The author takes us on the last journey together of the two.In fact, Anita has discovered that she has an incurable disease and wants to make up for lost time, but a secret looms over her that she has been hiding for years and must confess to Lorenzo. He struggles to regain confidence with his mother, but he does not know that she has discovered his, of secret.
How did the idea for this novel come about?
I actually had in mind for a long time the story of a mother and son who find each other, through a journey together, after many misunderstandings. I wanted, in the course of the journey, for one to save the other from their mistakes. But most of all I wanted this to happen through the confession of each other’s secrets, which had long tainted their relationship. I liked the idea of them forgiving each other, transformed by the journey they made together.
The narrative structure of the novel is very particular
It’s true. As I was writing it I was noticing that this book was building a lot in images, it’s quite cinematic. The narrative alternates between the two main characters with a flurry of flash-backs, which allowed me to better delineate their journey. One’s story does not exist without the other’s.
Did you take inspiration for the writing of the volume from your personal experiences?
There is a vague reference to the figure of my mother in the character of Anita, but it is rather rarefied. Most of what happens in the book is a figment of my imagination.
One of the most important themes addressed in the story is the loss of a loved one. How does one deal with such a topic?
It was not easy. When writing a very painful story there is an inevitable temptation to empathize, the death of a loved one is something that touches everyone. At times I had difficulty in writing certain parts, they reminded me of things from my own experience. It was not easy to live with, however, paradoxically writing about it had a cathartic effect on me.
The book also dwells heavily on the importance of forgiveness. What kind of relationship do you have with forgiveness considering also your profession?
It is a complex relationship, given also what I experience every day. I am used to seeing and hearing things that are not easy to forgive, as a correspondent of Hyenas I often tell heavy stories. Writing has helped me a lot in this aspect, especially to get rid of these anxieties of life. I by my nature am a person who is very prone to forgive, and I am equally in need of being forgiven: I believe that this story can easily be the story, at least in part, of everyone’s life.”
Do you have any new projects in mind following this novel?
As is well known my job is as a TV correspondent, writing for me is a side activity. It makes me feel good, it is a passion of mine. For now I will focus on the work I do, but some ideas for a new work are there. We’ll see…
