Paolo Cognetti

"As a romance blooms in an isolated Italian Alpine town, fate and free will shape the lives of many in this gorgeously written novel from the internationally bestselling author of The Eight Mountains"--

A Novel

The Lovers

Sarah Christine Gill

The other issue, though not as recurring, hits home at the end of the book. There are two ways of communicating I love you' in Italian: ti amo, which is implicitly erotic (a mother or father could never say 'ti amo' to their child without raising eyebrows); and ti voglio bene (literally, I want good for you), which is reserved for family and dear friends. When, at the end of the book, Silvia tells Fausto, Ti voglio bene,' the standard translation should be, I love you. But as all Italians know, when a lover chooses ti voglio bene' instead of 'ti amo', it's clearly a hedge. It means: I love you, but not enough to commit seriously and sacrifice my life for that love.' The inher- ent let-down in their exchange is lost in English. I chose to have Silvia say something very earnest: You mean a lot to me.' And Fausto echoes her. Although everyone knows - beneath the surface- what Fausto really wants 1Ot the a to say is: I love you." But that's yet another challenge with this sort of story: How do you translate the power of whats left unsaid? - Stash Luczkiw 

The Lovers A Novel

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