- Author
- Alessandro Bernardini
- Title
- La vodka è finita
- Translator
- Publisher
- Ensemble, 2014
- Info
- 447 pp., €. 16,00
Criminal novel
Ugo, the son of a mafia boss killed in prison, tries to live honestly, but the desire to follow his father’sfootsteps is so strong that he’s destined to soon join his uncle’s gang, who runs the family’s shady business. Upset by his cocaine addict girlfriend and fascinated by the criminal underworld, Ugo is trapped in situations too big for him to handle, revealing him (too late) his true nature.
The belief that there aren’t good writers in Italy is due to the fact that most readers ignore them, preferring easier reading such as English bestsellers. This is demonstrated by The vodka is finished, a criminal and “educational” novel that perfectly reflects the age it was written (end of the Eighties) . It is no coincidence that, in the background, we find the fall of the Berlin Wall and some hypothetical moments of Michail Gorbačëv’s life, troubled by doubts about his political and human choices.
A very original book with a nervous rhythm, exciting and written with mastery by Alessandro Bernardini.
Translation by Marco Pinnavaia (edited by Sara Di Girolamo)
