Here is a story about a young man’s first crush. It’s pretty brutal, because they spend an awful lot of time together as ‘friends,’ and then she tells him she’s not interested. Ouch. It’s very much a story of the lost days of our youth, made particularly sadder by the fact that it all takes place in a Jewish community in Italy in 1938. I don’t know how autobiographical this particular story is, but as the author also lived in that community, I can only imagine what it must feel like for him, memorializing that lost group of people and way of life.
I feel bad to say it, given the context, but I did not particularly like the book. The introduction informs us that Bassani has a ‘visual imagination,’ which I guess means he likes to list things, because believe me there a lot of lists. Don’t wonder what the crush’s bedroom looks like, because you are going to be informed in a LOT of detail. The author and the editor also assume a lot of knowledge of Italian politics of the interwar years. I particularly enjoyed one foot note that said: “This was a term for fascists from before the March 22 declaration.” So different from those other fascists!