The results have been posted on the school notice-board, and beside twelve-year-old Pietro’s name is the word “Failed”. An unexpected and alarming truth lies behind the failure, and it has nothing to do with his grades. For forty-four-year-old Graziano, his failure is in love. His decision-making is faulty, and his realizations come too slow.
The only good thing in Pietro’s life is Gloria. She is the reason he’s losing track of time and working so hard on the mosquito project. Biking home later than usual one night, he sees his worst enemies coming right toward him. They don’t jump him, but they do
force him to commit a crime. Pietro’s subsequent confession brings about a promise from a sympathetic teacher.
However, when this teacher’s heart is broken by another, the consequences are devastating and the promise is over.
Graziano is excited about his upcoming marriage to Erica. He’s told all his best friends and his mother about
her, and now he’s waiting back home in Ischiano Scalo for her arrival. When she fails to show, Graziano’s hurt and embarrassment cause him to seek out another woman to introduce to his friends and family. This other woman turns out to be Pietro’s sympathetic teacher.
In I'll Steal You Away, emotions are held deep down inside, and feelings explode. Many of the characters are outsiders, their relationships are a struggle. Anger and revenge bring mistakes, but they also bring clarification. Both Pietro and Graziano suffer before realizing what’s important in their lives.
Award-winning author Niccolò Ammaniti was born in Rome. The author’s first book, I’m Not Scared, has been published in twenty languages and made into a movie. Included in his second book, I'll Steal You Away, is a reading group guide consisting of twenty-two questions.
As the story unfolds, the actions of a few of the minor characters will
surprise readers. The storylines are unpredictable, and the characters taking turns narrating the story
sets an enjoyable rhythm. The author definitely links the events together in
this story with a big clash.
This book should be in your library, sitting beside I’m Not Scared.