Description
Named among Kirkus Reviews’ Best Fiction of 2017
Translated by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri, Ties is a compulsively readable and provocative novel about marriage and family by one of Italy’s bestselling novelists.
Like many marriages, Vanda and Aldo’s has been subject to strain, to attrition, to the burden of routine. Yet it has survived intact. Or so things appear. The rupture in their marriage lies years in the past, but if one looks closely enough, the fissures and fault lines are evident. It is a cracked vase that may shatter at the slightest touch. Or perhaps it has already shattered, and nobody is willing to acknowledge the fact.
Domenico Starnone’s thirteenth work of fiction is a powerful short novel about relationships, family, love, and the ineluctable consequences of one’s actions. Known as a consummate stylist and beloved as a talented storyteller, Domenico Starnone is the winner of Italy’s most prestigious literary award, The Strega.
Winner of The Bridge Prize for Best Novel 2015
Praise for Ties
“Ties is…the leanest, most understated and emotionally powerful novel by Domenico Starnone.”—Rachel Donadio, The New York Times
“Ties is puzzle-like, architectural, a novel ingeniously constructed.”—The New Yorker
“Ties is a masterful study of passing time.”—National Post (Canada)
“[Ties] is as vivid and devastating as anything you will read this year. A slim, stunning meditation on marriage, fidelity, honesty, and truth.”—Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
“An expertly crafted short novel that is charmingly intimate, disarmingly chatty and laced with some walloping surprises.”—Shelf Awareness
“Ingeniously constructed.”—Financial Times
“Each detail resonates, from the name of the family cat to the idiosyncratic way in which Aldo ties his shoes to his cherished Polaroids. Distinguished by its distinctive characters and clarity of tone, Ties is a gem.”—Jane Ciabattari, BBC
