A Girl Returned
A Girl Returned by Donatella Di Pietrantonio, published by Europa Editions in 2019, is a poignant novel that explores themes of family life, identity, and belonging. This edition, available in English and spanning 170 pages, presents the story of a 13-year-old girl who is unexpectedly sent to live with her birth family, a group of strangers who challenge her understanding of home and connection. The narrative unfolds with emotional depth, capturing the girl’s struggle to navigate her new reality and the complexities of her relationships.
Readers will find a rich exploration of sibling dynamics and the intricacies of motherhood as the protagonist grapples with her past and present. The story delves into the tension between her old life and the chaotic new environment, highlighting her interactions with her siblings, Adriana and Vincenzo, who play pivotal roles in her journey toward self-discovery. Set against the backdrop of Abruzzo’s striking landscape, A Girl Returned offers a sensitive portrayal of the challenges of caregiving and the search for one’s place within a family.
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WINNER OF THE CAMPIELLO PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 TRANSLATED BOOK AWARDS
A 2019 BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR (Washington Post ・Kirkus Reviews・Dallas Morning News)
A pitch-perfect rendering in English by Ann Goldstein, Elena Ferrante’s translator.
“I was the Arminuta, the girl returned. I spoke another language, I no longer knew who I belonged to. The word ‘mama’ stuck in my throat like a toad. And, nowadays, I really have no idea what kind of place mother is. It is not mine in the way one might have good health, a safe place, certainty.”
Told with an immediacy and a rare expressive intensity that has earned it countless adoring readers and one of Italy’s most prestigious literary prizes, A Girl Returned is a powerful novel rendered with sensitivity and verve by Ann Goldstein, translator of the works of Elena Ferrante. Set against the stark, beautiful landscape of Abruzzo in central Italy, this is a compelling story about mothers and daughters, about responsibility, siblings, and caregiving.
Without warning or explanation, an unnamed 13-year-old girl is sent away from the family she has always thought of as hers to live with her birth family: a large, chaotic assortment of individuals whom she has never met and who seem anything but welcoming. Thus begins a new life, one of struggle, tension, and conflict, especially between the young girl and her mother. But in her relationship with Adriana and Vincenzo, two of her newly acquired siblings, she will find the strength to start again and to build a new and enduring sense of self.
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