"A short novel of affecting elegance" -Vogue
"Cognetti... delivers a beautiful meditation on nature, love, and
renewal." -Publishers Weekly
"A masterclass in high-altitude atmosphere, a sharp portrait of a
community and a touching romance, all condensed into 200 pages."
-Financial Times
As a romance blooms in an isolated Italian Alpine town fate and free
will shape the lives of many in this gorgeously written novel from the
internationally bestselling author of The Eight Mountains, basis for
the 2022 Cannes Jury Prize winning film
Fausto moves to Fontana Fredda--Cold Fountain--a small, remote village
high in the mountains, having left Milan and an old love behind. Out of
the way and off the beaten path, Fontana Fredda is a town that operates
by its own rules, sense of time, and movement of seasons. Its citizens
lead quiet but complex lives--and Fausto is attracted to that contrast.
There's Santorso, the former forest ranger who prefers the company of
wolves to humans. Babette, the elegant ex-urbanite who, after a brief
fling with a mountain man, opened a permanent fixture in the village:
the little restaurant where Fausto works as a line cook, catering to
visiting skiers. And it is there where he meets Silvia, the new
waitress. Young, cheerful, with the air of a world traveler, the two
quickly become friends, and so much more.
When winter ends, Fausto and Silvia part ways, and return to their old
lives to tie up loose ends. Fausto eventually goes back to Fontana
Fredda to find Silvia, only to learn that she has found a summer job in
a nearby glacier. There, among Italy's peaceful and picturesque nature,
Silvia meets a Nepalese mountain guide who introduces her to the
enigmatic teachings of the Buddha. Meanwhile, Fausto finds work cooking
for a crew of lumberjacks, and makes regular visits up by Silvia.
With the turn of seasons, Fausto and Silvia's relationship is profoundly
changed by the winds of time.Life, as they discover, contains endless
possibilities.
Structured in short, distilled chapters, Paolo Cognetti's luminous,
atmospheric novel offers an elegant portrait of a budding romance
between two kindred, but different spirits united by their attraction to
an isolated landscape. Empathetic, achingly evocative, and buoyed by an
affection for the natural world, it is a beautiful meditation on our
infinite search to understand our place in the universe.
Translated from the Italian by Stash Luczkiw
