Fabio Volo's Il giorno in più

Il giorno in più by Fabio Volo is one of Italy's most recent best selling novels. The novel is light-hearted, funny, moving, and it makes for a change from some of the "heavier" writing that has come out of Italy the past year.

I was able to identify with a lot of the feelings and thoughts of the main character. There are dozens of sections in the book where the main character, Giacomo, reflects on his past, narrating past events in a way that weaved them into the current happenings of the novel. The "supporting cast" of the book are not just minor players, but are used by the author to advance the storyline, often producing humorous effects. One such minor character is Dante, who the main character meets once and is mentioned throughout the early sections of the book, plays an important role in advancing the conflict in the story -- in large part because Dante's mobile number is a palindrome, which aids the main character after dropping his mobile phone in a toilet in New York City. Dante's phone number is the only one that Giacomo can remember!

A key theme to this work is how people stop the past from repeating itself and whether it is worth the trouble or even possible. This theme is repeated often as we follow Giacomo through the book and mirrored by Giacomo's friends and acquaintances. There are also themes of finding love and keeping love, coping with change, and moving on from the past. Volo does an excellent job of making the reader a part of his experience, and he does not shield the reader from Giacomo's pain, pleasure, or disappointments. I found it heartening to follow the main character's thoughts and developments, sometimes reaching the same conclusions before him and hoping and wanting Giacomo to do the same.

You get the sense the work may be partly autobiographical, with some sections of the book lifted and adapted from Volo's own experiences. Considering Volo's attachment to America and New York City, it is not surprising. Volo presents his work in a way so that the reader becomes a part of Giacomo's development. We are not meant to be idle viewers, but are meant to engage and follow the character's progress actively and engagingly.

We are definitely along for the ride.