<p>This novel, the first from the mayor of Rome, chronicles two parallel stories. Giovanni Astengo, employed by the Italian State Archives, is driven to uncover the fate of his father, who disappeared in 1977 after the murder of his best friend and colleague. Returning to the former country house of his parents, he is compelled to dial the number of his childhood home, and due to forces unknown, someone answers: his thirteen-year-old self, just days before his father’s disappearance. The telephone establishes a mysterious link between the older man and his younger self, at a pivotal moment in their lives. While his family life unravels, Giovanni’s search for the cause of his father’s disappearance intensifies, setting the scene for a dramatic conclusion.With this unpredictable detective story, Veltroni explores a troubled era in Italian life: the bloody terrorism that marked the seventies. Through the protagonist’s journey into his family’s past and the secrets that he uncovers, Veltroni offers a new perspective on a period in contemporary history—and its devastating consequences—that many of his compatriots still have not come to terms with.</p>

The Discovery of Dawn

Literature & Fiction

Walter Veltroni

Literary

Rizzoli Ex Libris

Giovanni Astengo, a middle-aged functionary, works at the Italian State Archives, where he catalogues diaries written by an array of ordinary and extraordinary people. Deeply scarred by the sudden disappearance of his father when he was a child, Giovanni is devoted to his wife and son but suffers another emotional blow when he learns his newborn daughter has Down Syndrome. Over the years, Stella's disability reverberates through the family in much the same way as his father's disappearance years before.  Early one August morning when the rest of the family is on vacation, Giovanni follows an impetus to return to his family's country house, the place of his lost happiness, long since abandoned. He goes inside and spots an old black rotary telephone which, astonishingly, has dial tone. On a whim, he dials the phone number of his childhood home and is amazed to hear his own 13-year-old voice respond. So begins a Twilight Zone-type sequence of events that culminates with stunning answers to the questions that have haunted Giovanni throughout his adult life.

La Scoperta Dell'alba (Annotations in English))

Linguality

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Books by Walter Veltroni

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The Discovery of Dawn

La Scoperta Dell'alba (Annotations in English))