Timiteo, a prominent surgeon, is in surgery when he is notified that his 15 year old daughter Angela has been brought to the hospital and is in critical condition with life-threatening brain injuries after an accident on her scooter. As Timiteo waits the hours while Angela is being operated on by his neurosurgeon colleague, Timiteo reflects on his life, his marriage to Angela's mother, Elsa, and in particular the year or two before Angela's birth during which Timiteo had a passionate, and to himself inexpliquible, affair with Italia.
Timiteo's wife Elsa is beautiful, intelligent and an accomplished journalist. Italia is frumpy, works at a menial job as a hotel maid, and lives in a shack among the gypsies. During the affair, Timiteo takes risk after risk, risking his marriage with Elsa and not understanding why.
What I didn't understand about this book is why the author has Timiteo obsessing about this affair as his daughter's life is in the balance. As one Amazon reviewer put it, "The decision to frame the narrative as a father's confession to his teenage daughter is odd."
On the other hand, the author does a good job of realistically portraying the Timiteo's obsessive relationship with Italia. The relationship had actually begun with Timiteo's rape of Italia, so we know that Timiteo is not a good person, but here we have a book with a villain as the hero. Despite our understanding that Timiteo is not a good person, and is someone probably most readers will find unsympathetic, the author makes us want to keep reading about him. The author is a good writer, even the gory descriptions of operations are well done. The book is on the 1001 list.
Recommended.
3 1/2 stars ( )

I am waffling between 3 stars and 4 stars.

When I hear that a book written in first-person, such as [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358275334s/2767052.jpg|2792775], is being made into a movie, I wonder how the filmmakers are going to handle it. The story is entirely from Katniss' perspective, and she is telling it, so some of her voice and vision will inevitably get lost in film. I am willing to bet money that the adaptation of Don't Move is better than the book, because there will be less of the voice of Timoteo!

After his daughter is seriously injured in an accident, Timoteo sits outside her operating room and silently tells her of the affair he had the year before she was born. His confession begins with his car breaking down in a sketchy town, where he meets Italia - tired, poor, and unattractive. Although he has a beautiful wife and a successful career as a surgeon, Timoteo is dissatisfied. Upon meeting Italia, his frustration comes to a head and, um, he rapes her. Um, yeah. Definitely not a meet-cute. Despite this, er, questionable beginning, Timoteo becomes sexually obsessed with Italia, and she with him. He must decide whether to continue his comfortable existence with his wife or experience passion and life with Italia.

That sounds like an excellent movie. I can totally see this working as some kind of modern erotic Italian Neorealist piece. The reason I didn't enjoy the book is because I could not stand Timoteo's self-loathing narration of his brutality, selfishness, and cowardice. I guess it comes down to I would rather watch a weasel than read about a weasel.

PS - I am amused that Margaret Mazzantini dedicated this book to her husband. And then he directed and starred in the film adaptation! That's either really sweet or really twisted. ( )

Non ci provare
Una o due stelle, ma anche tre, a uno qualsiasi dei romanzi della Mazzantini? No dai, non ci provare! Sei sicuramente avvezzo a trastullarti con romanzetti rosa scialbi scritti coi piedi, e faresti bene a continuare su quella strada. Suvvia, questo romanzo è di una bellezza sconcertante. Eccheccacchio! ( )

How do we value a book we read? What makes us feel that this is an excellent one? Is it The story? Maybe it's the Writing? Perhaps The connection between us and the book?

As far as I am concerned, the book has to touch my emotional place. There are books I admire about writing, the beauty of the idea, but I remain detached. And sometimes some books manage to touch me, and it has nothing to do with pleasure.

This one was written by an Italian writer. The story is simple: a father who is a senior surgeon sits outside an operating room in his hospital, a place where his only daughter is diagnosed with a severe accident. And does what we all do while we are in a state of disaster: thinking about his life, trying to understand the logic of what is happening, feeling guilty about the choices he made.

I find it hard to say that I enjoyed reading the book. There are parts in it that I really felt sick when I read them. But the book didn't allow me to stop reading it, and I still think of it sometimes.

The book is compelling, requiring the reader to think about subjects he doesn't always want to think about. Recommends reading it to non-romantic people with an overly sensitive stomach. ( )

Il libro è scritto bene ma umanamente parlando mi ha lasciata alquanto perplessa ... nulla da ridire sul dolore devastante che qualsiasi genitorie proverebbe nel vedersi una figlia in fin di vita ma ... quello che non comprendo è per quale motivo narrargli un amore che non è quello per la propria madre fatto prevalentemente di fisicità ? Perplessa e vagamente amareggiata. ( )