The Brittle Age
ABOUT
THE BOOK
In the 1990s, deep in the Maiella mountains of Central Italy, a brutal crime shattered the peace of the local community. Two young women were murdered, a third left for dead. Lucia was twenty years old back then, and the only survivor, a childhood friend. Now Lucia is a physiotherapist, separating from her husband, her daughter Amanda studying in Milan. When the pandemic forces Amanda to return to the family’s home near Pescara, forever changed by her experiences, Lucia’s memories are reawakened, and with them the impact of past trauma. Set against the backdrop of the rugged Apennine mountains, the narrative intricately weaves Lucia and Amanda’s personal struggles with the with the mystery of the tragedy that marked their familial land decades earlier.
Inspired by true events, The Brittle Age is a tale of individual resilience, and a commentary on the indelible impact of historical events on personal lives and the broader community.
Original title in Italian L’età fragile, published by Einaudi (2023)
ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Ann
Goldstein
Ann Goldstein has translated into English all of Elena Ferrante’s books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Lying Life of Adults and The Story of the Lost Child, which was also shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. She has been honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship and is the recipient of the PEN Renato Poggioli Translation Award. She lives in New York.
Ann Goldstein has translated into English all of Elena Ferrante’s books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Lying Life of Adults and The Story of the Lost Child, which was also shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. She has been honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship and is the recipient of the PEN Renato Poggioli Translation Award. She lives in New York.
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
The Brittle Age” (L’età fragile) It is a novel loosely inspired by a true story and covers the theme of gender violence, mixing it with the sweetness of remembrance and regret for the past and people who have disappeared. With a dry and incisive style, and the use of a language that reflects the complexity of the Abruzzi region, in which the book is set, Donatella Di Pietrantonio tells a story of survival in life, talking about the fragility that is part of being human. The author immerses us in the family dynamics of the protagonists, in their bewilderment, and in the attempt to reconstruct a dialogue between them and with the past, marked by a terrible event. With an intimate and profound style, the book explores the theme of human relationships with realism and accuracy. (Sistema Bibliotecario di Milano)