- Author
- Liz Moore
- Title
- Heft
- Translator
- -
- Publisher
- Windmill, 2013
- Info
- 352 pages, £8.99
An intense perception of the world
Arthur is a lonely man, who is at the mercy of his obesity; Kel is a young budding baseball star. Their paths will cross because of their love for the same woman, Charlene.
The title is a clear reference both to Arthur Opp’s excessive weight and to life’s burden which looms over him; the man is in fact an ex-teacher who is lonely and who never goes out.
Liz Moore, a young American writer, wrote a story based on the fragility and the solitude of existence, projecting the reader in the two characters’ thoughts through a huge narrative inspiration.
The characters’ honesty makes the reader feels empathy towards them and towards their world’s vision from the very first few pages. States of mind and uneasiness give the reader a portrait of two completely different men, bonded by their weakness, their sense of isolation and their wounds due to the absence of a father’s love and being part of a broken family.
A story which shows how family values have drifted and changed in our society. A nuclear family which is, by now, completely disintegrated and which pushes us to find love somewhere else.
This is a sad story which is able, on the verge of the abyss, to give hope in the most unexpected of circumstances.
An intense writer who does not beat about the bush.
Translation by Francesca Pietroboni (edited by Sabrina Macchi)
