This powerful memoir charts the journey of Simonetta Agnello Hornby (who begins with a loving family’s portrait) and her son George from the moment of his multiple sclerosis diagnosis to the present day, and their travels from London to and through Italy. Written from the perspectives of both, it’s a hymn to resilience, freedom of spirit and the bonds of various forms of love, but also a reminder of how much remains to be done to render life genuinely more liveable for those affected by disabilities.
Recommended by Valeria Vescina
NESSUNO PUÒ VOLARE
Written by Simonetta Agnello Hornby
Published by Feltrinelli (2017)
Valeria Vescina (https://valeriavescina.com/) is a writer, a teacher and critic. Her novel, That Summer in Puglia (Eyewear Publishing) had its debut at the FTWeekend Oxford Literary Festival 2018. She is now researching her second novel, which will also be set in Puglia, but in the sixteenth century. Her activity as a critic includes literary and opera reviews for the European Literature Network (and its magazine The Riveter), Seen and Heard International and Talking Humanities. She teaches creative writing workshops and holds an MA in Creative & Life Writing from Goldsmiths.