Davide, a child hospitalized after a serious car accident, and Dr. Bozzi, an unlikeable and gruff neurosurgery genius, are the heart of this debut novel by Giovanna Zucca, a nurse turning to fiction. Though Davide lies in a coma, he hears everything around him. Unable to see, he trusts only those with warm hands. This single detail draws him into an unlikely bond with the cantankerous Bozzi—a socially awkward figure who has become the subject of hospital gossip.
It is a novel about trust and faith, science and religion, written in a modern yet deliberately nonlinear style. Page by page, we slip into the thoughts of one protagonist or another: the doctor, Davide, his parents, hospital staff. An unnamed narrator occasionally intrudes, following no fixed pattern. The story moves quickly and reads with ease, leaving us with fresh reflections on the weight of appearances and our trust in one another.
M.C., 2012