'Vivid, beguiling and needle-sharp. An unmissable literary thriller' <b>Lucy Rose</b>
'Rich and evocative, slippery and strange. I was hooked from the very first page' <b>Chloe Ashby</b>
<b>What happens when the missing don't want to be found?</b>
One morning, a teacher vanishes into the woods. As whispers fill her classroom, she melts into a shadowy wilderness, where the air hums with ancient birdsong and a blanket of moss covers her tracks.
Back in town, the mystery deepens. Who is Silvia really? An inscrutable misfit without a husband, devoted to her students until tragedy strikes. When a young boy stumbles upon her hiding place, it seems the search may be over. But is Silvia ready to return?
<b>Praise for <i>Untold Lessons</i>:</b>
'Satisfying and deeply felt' <b><i> Irish Times</i></b>
'Mysterious and elegant' <b>Veronica Raimo</b>
'A strong debut by an emerging novelist and a loving work of restitution' <b><i>TLS</i></b>
'Moving and thought-provoking' <b><i>Glamour Magazine</i></b>
'One of Italy's most exciting new feminist authors' <b><i>Service95</i></b>
'Beautiful. . . a rare study of communal grief' <b><i>Telegraph</i></b>
'A book full of upended expectations' <i><b>Guardian</b></i>
Reviews / Votes
Vivid, beguiling and needle-sharp, Untold Lessons is an unmissable literary thriller that stirs our darkest impulses -- Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb Untold Lessons is rich and evocative, as well as slippery and strange, in the best possible way. I was hooked from the first page -- Chloe Ashby, author of Wet Paint and Second Self A satisfying and deeply felt novel * Irish Times * An intense literary thriller that subverts expectations by allowing its victims to have complexity and agency, forcing us to ask whether it's a good idea to pry into the inner-lives of those who do socially taboo things * Dazed * A mysterious and elegant novel, full of fears and tenderness, where getting lost in the woods can be a choice and a destiny and a regeneration -- Veronica Raimo, author of Lost on Me A strong debut by an emerging novelist and a loving work of restitution * TLS * A compelling exploration of personal growth and self-discovery. Vaglio's ability to blend introspective storytelling with deep emotional resonance is evident throughout this novel. The narrative delves into the complexities of life's unspoken lessons and the impact they have on personal transformation . . . lyrical prose and insightful character development create a moving and thought-provoking reading experience * Glamour Magazine * Untold Lessons is a beautifully crafted feminist fable that not only confronts patriarchy but also raises the question of whether one can ever fully escape the trauma, alienation, and guilt that come with possessing a human form * World Literature Today * A powerful exploration of the fragility of the ties that bind us to society and loved ones * Marie Claire * Crystalline . . . Maddalena Vaglio Tanet draws the best from the Italian literary landscape her vivid language is shaped in. Both lyrically and psychologically effective, with a careful and tender gaze -- Claudia Durastanti, author of Strangers I Know A dark literary thriller . . . In her prose, the natural world becomes something out of a fairy tale, escapist and dangerous * The London Magazine * Maddalena Vaglio Tanet captivates us from the very first sentence and then carries us away with her olive-green language, telling through her stirring style the depths of fear and breadth of the human heart. As if Elena Ferrante's heroines had come to the barren northern Italy to find themselves caught between tender longings and bitter disappointments -- Floran Illies This mysterious and elegant debut novel uncovers small town secrets and probes our darkest impulses -- Daunt Books Newsletter, 'Our Five Favourite Books of the Week' A debut novel from one of Italy's most exciting new feminist authors - a tantalising thriller that will keep any reader on their toes * Service95 * A book full of upended expectations . . . shuttling between characters to create a matrix of voices, relationships, gossip and guilt * Guardian * A fictionalised retelling of a true incident and a heartbreaking story about individual choices and their consequences - some of which we don't understand until it's too late.Set in the 1970s Italian countryside, the novel has a cast of characters that are immersed in fear, guilt and past trauma * New Statesman * Beautiful . . . A rare study of communal grief that continually finds new ways to describe old sentiments. * Telegraph *
Language
Place of publication
Product notice
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
ISBN-13
978-1-80533-009-7 (9781805330097)
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Schweitzer Classification
Maddalena Vaglio Tanet studied Literature at the University of Pisa and at Columbia University in New York. She recently moved to the Netherlands, where she works as a literary scout. She has published poetry in Italian and German and three children's books. Untold Lessons is her first novel. It was shortlisted for the Strega Prize, the Flaiano Book Prize, the Fiesole Book Prize, and was awarded the Segafredo Prize for a movie adaptation. It is being translated into several languages.