Quiet Chaos: A Novel

The award-winning novel Quiet Chaos, the recipient of Italy's prestigious Strega Prize and the basis for an internationally acclaimed motion picture, is now available in America. Author Sandro Veronesi, whose work has been favorably compared to the novels of literary luminaries Ian McEwan and Martin Amis, captivates readers with this powerfully compelling, often darkly humorous story of a television producer whose life is upended by a tragic turn of events.

On the shores of the Mediterranean, Pietro Paladini, exhausted from an afternoon of surfing, is jolted from his slumber by a distant noise. "Over there!" he cries to his brother, Carlo, who is basking in the sun beside him. This exclamation marks the beginning of an adventure that will tear a hole in Pietro's life. As Pietro and his brother struggle to save two drowning swimmers, a tragedy is unfolding at his summer cottage down the road. Instead of returning home to a hero's welcome, Pietro is greeted by the flashing lights of an ambulance, the wide-eyed stare of his young daughter, Claudia, and the devastating news that his fiancée, Lara, has passed away.

Faced with the question of whether life must go on, the true iconoclast that is Pietro decides to take matters into his own hands. When he drops Claudia off for her first day of school, he resolves to wait outside for her all day, and then every day thereafter. This decision is driven by a desire to protect her, to protect himself, and to brace for the overwhelming weight of grief. As the days and weeks unfold, the small parking lot in front of the school becomes Pietro's refuge from the world, as well as the place where family and colleagues come to confront their own suffering – including the woman he had rescued from the waves.

Through this unforgettable contemporary fable, Sandro Veronesi, the acclaimed author of The Force of the Past, explores the profound and complex emotions that arise when life is cruelly turned upside-down. Quiet Chaos masterfully navigates the search for resolution to the unsolvable problem of loss, finding solace and meaning in the beauty and strangeness of the everyday. This literary wonder is a testament to Veronesi's remarkable storytelling prowess, cementing his place among the literary elite.

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