Some moments in life force us to reckon with what existence means. The story told by the authors of this book may be the most telling of all.
Emanuela and Giovanni are expecting their fourth child when routine prenatal tests deliver devastating news: their baby has a severe chromosomal malformation incompatible with life. Survival is measured in months, if that. Yet the parents choose to welcome this child into their family. They believe he has the right to be loved as his siblings are: "It is not the length of life that gives it value, nor its quality; it is not health that makes us happy, but the certainty of being loved." The book unfolds as a diary, each milestone of their story paired with passages from the Psalms and brief meditations by religious and secular thinkers alike. The authors lay bare their guilt and disbelief, their anguish and fear. Then, gradually, faith transforms despair into hope. "Suffering knows no half measures," they write, "and it is certainly a sieve that sorts out friendships." This ordeal opens their eyes to warmth and solidarity from those around them—a strength they did not know they possessed, courage enough to carry them through to Samuel's birth. The few months they share with him prove intense beyond measure, and his early death reshapes not only their family but everyone who knew him.
Laura Nardini, 2006
