Out running an errand, Valeria Cossati gives in to an impulse: she buys a shiny black notebook and starts to keep a diary in secret, recording her concerns about her daughter, her fear that her husband will discover her new habit and the daily grind of the domestic routine.
With each entry Valeria plunges deeper into her interior life, uncovering dissatisfaction and restlessness. As she finds her own voice, the roles that have come to define her begin to break apart. Forbidden Notebook is a haunting story of discontent in post-war Rome, a rediscovered jewel of Italian literature.
Translated by Ann Goldstein.
Leave your review