White flowers

On 16 May, exactly one year after being diagnosed with a crippling disease, the main character in these painful memoir tells the story of the life that follows after the normal one she had led before. In hospital and diagnosed with incomplete paraplegia, she gets to grips with the physical and mental effort of rehabilitation. Learning from scratch how to dress, wash and be independent. During the exertion of having to redefine the map of her own limits, she discovers a world of complex relations, affection and unexpected helpfulness. A beloved and loving husband who follows her progress, with his own ups and downs, girl friends – lots – whose political gossip cheers her up, the Woman’s Bookshop in Milan, all of whom clasp her tight in a magic circle. With the spirit of Marcovaldo and her patient prose, Vita Cosentino portrays the faces of a welcoming community full of solidarity in which the protagonist learns to take new steps.