Febbre

A Strega Prize finalist, incredibly well written. It alternates a hellish childhood in Rozzano, with fights, problems, money troubles, and neighborhood life, with the AIDS diagnosis and the path of testing and treatment. I followed Jonathan’s growth eagerly, with strength and many mistakes, and I realized how lucky I am to be healthy and to have grown up in a good environment. Some parts were really too raw, especially what his mother went through. I skimmed parts of the AIDS section; it was hard for me. It remains one of the most interesting books I have read in years. Excellent: he told a story, and he told it beautifully. Amid life’s light and shadow, in the end we get by.