The Italian Riveter Recommends: AVVENTURE DU UN OTTENNE CON DUE FRATELLI PIÙ GRANDI (‘The Adventures of an Eight-Year-Old and His Two Older Brothers) by Valentina Pellizzoni and Miriam Serafin

This short and funny story by new writer and bookseller, Valentina Pellizzoni, takes its inspiration from the antics of her three children.

The story is told in the first person by the youngest of the three, eight-year-old Gabi, who sees his two brothers, Edo and Nico, ‘growing apart’ and is curious about how they are maturing and about how they play together, leading to philosophical wonderings about the meaning of existence. Not surprisingly, Gabi is nicknamed ‘The Philosopher’.

For Gabi the sofa is the stage on which he likes to show off his magic tricks, flex his imagination, cobble together shows, and to which he retreats for moments of solitude.

The freshness of the writing reflects the irrepressible flow of a child’s thoughts: fast and free.

The figure of the grandfather, a discreet presence, almost a voiceover, reassures, softens and illuminates the various adventures of the three brothers.

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