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Strangers I Know
Strangers I Know | Claudia Durastanti
6 posts | 2 read | 2 to read
A bold, contemporary and urgent novel from a renowned Italian writer that examines silence in different forms, immigration, family and social class.
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review
AnneCecilie
Strangers I Know | Claudia Durastanti
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Pickpick

I didn‘t know what this was about before putting myself on the waiting list at the library. I had just seen some raving reviews. This turned out to be mostly a memoir, but also parts essays.

Claudia and her brother grows up with deaf parents who refuse to learn silent language so they have to learn to communicate through reading in the lips and body language. Further, her parents also deals with some mental issues and they grow up poor.

AnneCecilie Claudia looks at how this impacted her growing up, but also into adulthood. 2y
58 likes1 comment
review
charl08
Strangers I Know | Claudia Durastanti
Pickpick

"When everything collapses, love remains.But is it a true story?"

This is the question!
Fascinating book that might appeal to readers of Rachel Cusk or Deborah Levy.

Soul I don't think so 3y
44 likes1 comment
quote
charl08
Strangers I Know | Claudia Durastanti

I used to believe that to talk about human beings meant you had to talk about buildings collapsing... But when I think of certain lives, all that comes to mind are old-fashioned geopolitics, classic versions of Risk! left to molder, with nations ravaged by pain, but still with impregnable strongholds, condemned to resist, convinced the siege will pass, until they alone are left standing

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charl08
Strangers I Know | Claudia Durastanti
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My mother can't stand fiction. Whenever we watch something, there's always a moment when she says, 'But is it a true story?' - even if we're watching a horror movie - and I have to lie because if I told her it's completely made up, she'd lose interest and we'd never be able to do anything together again. Her 'But is it a true story?" has plagued me forever.

KateReadsYA Lmao this sounds like my mom and I. My dad was very big on never growing up and telling me fairytales, my mom was the complete opposite. 3y
ChaoticMissAdventures I find this so sad? I do love nonfiction but we all should be able to escape a bit with some fiction. 3y
charl08 @KateReadsYA although billed as a novel this reads like a kind of autofiction so I am wondering which bits (like this one) reflect her own experience. 3y
charl08 @ChaoticMissAdventures I don't know what I'd do without a fictional escape. The parent characters in this one are pretty extreme. 3y
49 likes4 comments
quote
charl08
Strangers I Know | Claudia Durastanti
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[Her father] saves sand from his seaside trips and stores it in the garage....Sometimes he'll give me a starfish in a cellophane bag as a present, but it's always painted some tacky, fluorescent color. In a back room, he has bins of mineral chunks and shells, in the sort of box used for screws in hardware stores. I once picked up a can full of white pumice stone chips that was labeled 'Moon.'

#BorderlessBookclub
#InTranslation

Cathythoughts Lovely picture 💫 3y
charl08 @Cathythoughts went to the beach for the first time in ages. Cold, but so lovely ⛱️ 3y
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blurb
charl08
Strangers I Know | Claudia Durastanti
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The new Borderless Bookclub programme is out!
I am looking forward to discovering some new books in translation.

Open membership (online) - more info https://borderlessbookclub.com/programme

#InTranslation #ReadHarder #Brazil #Italy #Iceland