Description
THE SUMMER THAT REMAINS
Book Summary
A story of absolute love that defies gender labels and the passage of time. Giulia Baldelli immerses us in a love triangle that begins in childhood, during the summers of the nineties in a small Italian village, and resurges with force ten years later in Bologna. With a captivating and original narrative, the author explores obsession, desire, and the complexity of bonds that, even when broken, leave an indelible mark. This debut work is the discovery of a new voice in contemporary Italian literature.
What is it about?
The novel starts in the 1990s, when Giulia and Cristi, two girls with opposite personalities, meet during their vacations in the Marche region. Giulia, rational and determined, is fascinated by Cristi, a fragile and wild girl who awakens in her a feeling more intense than friendship. Cristi, for her part, is also attracted to Giulia, but her eyes constantly seek out Mattia, a boy who seems to understand her indomitable nature.
The summers pass between games by the river and budding jealousy, until the three, on the verge of adolescence, separate. Ten years later, Giulia and Cristi meet again in Bologna and the love they never managed to forget erupts. However, the appearance of Mattia once again disturbs their fragile balance. From that moment on, their lives become forever intertwined in a dance of passion, abandonment, and reunions, where Cristi stands as the irresistible vertex of a triangle that knows no rules.
Main themes
- Non-normative love and gender fluidity: A story that transcends labels to explore love in its purest and most complex state.
- Obsession and desire: The narrative delves into the overwhelming force of a love that becomes a vital necessity.
- Memory and reunion: The weight of the past and how childhood memories shape adult relationships.
- Love triangle and loyalty: The tension between shared love, jealousy, and the impossibility of choosing.
- Personal growth and abandonment: The protagonists' journey from childhood to maturity, marked by losses and rebirths.
Who is it recommended for?
For readers looking for a contemporary love novel with a lucid and unbiased perspective. It is ideal for those who enjoy stories of complex feelings, deep characters, and narratives that explore identity and desire beyond conventionalisms. Also for followers of new Italian literature and authors who, like Elena Ferrante or Simonetta Agnello Hornby, know how to portray the intensity of human relationships.
What this book offers
- A renewed vision of romantic love, freed from gender labels and open to all possibilities of desire.
- An immersive and mature narrative, with a temporal structure that masterfully links the past and the present.
- Three-dimensional and memorable characters, whose contradictions and emotions are authentic and relatable.
- A reflection on the permanence of affective bonds and the ability of love to be reborn even after loss.
Technical specifications
- Author: Giulia Baldelli
- Publisher: Editorial Dos Bigotes SL
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: Modern and contemporary fiction
- Collection: Dos Bigotes
- Binding: Paperback
- Edition date: February 2023
- Number of pages: 520
- Weight: 927 g
Editorial review
A surprising debut that demonstrates uncommon stylistic maturity. Giulia Baldelli builds a love story that is simultaneously an intimate drama and an exploration of identity. Her prose, clear and immersive, grabs the reader from the first page and keeps them on edge throughout an emotional journey spanning more than two decades. It is, without a doubt, a novel that deserves to be discovered by those looking for a passionate, intelligent, and deeply human read.