Author:
Cinzia Leone
Publishing house:
Mondadori
Date of publication:
12-02-2019

Stolen lives. Like that of Miriam, the wife of a Muslim Turk who in 1936 decides to replace the Jewish merchant she is in business with, forcing her too to change her name and religion. Stealing Judith’s life in 1938 are the racial laws: kicked out of school, with her father in prison and the fascists on her heels, she can be betrayed, sold and bought; she must learn to hide anywhere, even in a hospital and a brothel. In 1991, stealing Esther’s life instead is a mysterious suitor who proposes an arranged marriage, governed by a perfect contract…

Jewish by force, on the run or in the middle, Miriam, Judith and Esther are women capable of defending their identity from the rough pitfalls of men and History. Tearing their days away from the ferocity of the times, they learn to love and choose their own destiny.

A family saga full of deception and secrets that unravels from Istanbul to Ancona, Jaffa to Basel, Rome to Miami, Atatürk’s Turkey to late 20th century Italy, passing through World War II and anti-Semitic persecution, with a surprise ending.

A kaleidoscope of extraordinary locations, three unforgettable protagonists and a crowd of characters that pierce the page and create a fictional universe from which it is impossible to detach oneself.

Cinzia Leone has written a unique, generous and exciting novel of high literary quality and innervated by a plot that escapes in a sprint, enrapturing the reader’s imagination. A book that, in the joy of storytelling, reflects on history, identity, and tolerance.

Foreign Editions

Translation rights:

Liana Levi (France)