A story of revenge and salvation that follows a young woman who seeks the truth behind her father’s disappearance, Soul of the Border is the first novel in a trilogy set between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the late nineteenth century.
Every year, Augusto De Boer undertakes a treacherous journey through the Italian Alps, smuggling tobacco across the border to Austria. With conditions getting harsher, he decides to take his fifteen-year-old daughter Jole along with him, teaching her how to navigate the perilous crags and valleys while avoiding hostile customs officers and nocturnal beasts.
Three years later, Jole must retrace their steps alone as her father has not returned from the border. With only her horse for company, she makes her way across the stark mountain landscape in an epic journey of violence and corruption.
A story of revenge and salvation that follows a young woman who seeks the truth behind her father’s disappearance, Soul of the Border is the first novel in a trilogy set between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the late nineteenth century.
Every year, Augusto De Boer undertakes a treacherous journey through the Italian Alps, smuggling tobacco across the border to Austria. With conditions getting harsher, he decides to take his fifteen-year-old daughter Jole along with him, teaching her how to navigate the perilous crags and valleys while avoiding hostile customs officers and nocturnal beasts.
Three years later, Jole must retrace their steps alone as her father has not returned from the border. With only her horse for company, she makes her way across the stark mountain landscape in an epic journey of violence and corruption.
| Published By | House of Anansi Press Inc — May 21, 2019 |
| Specifications | 224 pages | 5.25 in x 8 in |
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Excerpt |
| Written By |
MATTEO RIGHETTO is an award-winning author and professor of literature. Many of his works take place in beautiful mountain landscapes that he knows deeply, having visited them since his childhood backpacking with his father. Among his best-known novels are the celebrated La pelle dell’orso (The Bear Skin), recently made into a movie, and Apri gli occhi (Open Your Eyes), winner of the Premio Cortina. L’anima della frontiera (Soul of the Border) became a literary success and was sold in several countries before its publication in Italy. The author is now working on the third title in the trilogy, La terra promessa (The Promised Land). He lives between Padua and the Dolomites in Italy. |
| Written By |
|
MATTEO RIGHETTO is an award-winning author and professor of literature. Many of his works take place in beautiful mountain landscapes that he knows deeply, having visited them since his childhood backpacking with his father. Among his best-known novels are the celebrated La pelle dell’orso (The Bear Skin), recently made into a movie, and Apri gli occhi (Open Your Eyes), winner of the Premio Cortina. L’anima della frontiera (Soul of the Border) became a literary success and was sold in several countries before its publication in Italy. The author is now working on the third title in the trilogy, La terra promessa (The Promised Land). He lives between Padua and the Dolomites in Italy. |
“Written in a laconic style, with scarcely any dialogue, the often poignant novel is beautifully executed as it creates an ethos that is haunting and altogether memorable. Seemingly simple and straightforward, the story resonates with timeless characters and situations, investing them with the weight of allegory.” —Booklist
“Righetto’s novel abounds with naturalistic details that help create a fine sense of place — evoking both the literal path that Jole follows and the sense of a world on the cusp of something.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A harrowing, suspenseful, and convincing novel . . . something beautiful.” —Daniel Woodrell, author of Winter’s Bone
“Soul of the Border is the real deal. Rich in mood and with a great feel for the environment it traverses, this is one clever and beautiful book, and I highly recommend it. It was fantastic.” —Joe R. Lansdale, author of Paradise Sky