The Cursed Friend - by Beatrice Salvioni (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Monza, Italy, 1936. Thirteen-year-old Francesca lies on the banks of the Lambro River under the weight of a dead man who was trying to rape her, when he suddenly died. Her friend, Maddalena, crawls out of the water and helps her get out from under the dead body, which they then hide in some bushes. Their friendship began a year earlier, and is one marked by rebellion and the search for freedom beyond the rigid social hierarchy of the town. Maddalena, who comes from humble beginnings, is called "La malnacida/Born Evil" because of her supposed dark powers. Francesca joins her group of friends against her family's will, and discovers a new way of living beyond social conventions. Their bond will overcome the town gossip, which blames Maddalena for several deaths. It will be tested by war and fascism, and the two friends will have to decide whether to join together against social oppression or let the course of history separate them forever."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

"Bloody, unapologetic, and wild ... I loved it!"--Naomi Krupitsky, New York Times bestselling author of The Family

"The Cursed Friend grabs the reader's attention and doesn't let go . . . a magnetic coming-of-age story"--Laura Spence-Ash, bestselling author of Beyond That, the Sea

For readers of Adriana Trigiani, Susan Meissner, and Elena Ferrante, an unbreakable, life-changing friendship will lead two young girls from different worlds to rebel against the injustice they face in 1930s Italy.

It is 1936, and in the small Italian city of Monza, on the pebbled bank of the Lambro, two frantic girls scramble to bury a body--the dead son of the city's most prominent fascist. Soon, they will find their fierce friendship put to the ultimate test.

A year earlier, Francesca Strada, the well-mannered daughter of a bourgeois family, dreams of a life beyond provincial conformity. From afar she spies on Maddalena, the town's rebellious outcast--whom neighbors call "the Cursed One"--and whose indomitable spirit fascinates her. Then, one day, escaping the vigilant eye of her parents, Francesca finds herself caught in her first-ever lie while trying to protect Maddalena. Soon, the two are inseparable. Maddalena teaches Francesca to defy animals, to overcome her fear of blood, and to recognize her body as something alive and present.

But as tensions escalate and an atmosphere of suspicion, corruption, and discontent settles over the town, the friends become increasingly aware that as girls, they're not as free as they wish to be. Confronted by a vicious act of violence, Maddalena and Francesca must rely on each other to defend what they have forged together. Set against the backdrop of the Abyssinian War, The Cursed Friend is a timeless tale of female friendship, navigating loss and adolescence, and finding the courage to speak out against the silence of a harsh, uncompromising world.

Translated from the Italian by Elena Pala

Review Quotes

"Bloody, unapologetic, and wild ... I loved it!" -- Naomi Krupitsky, New York Times bestselling author of The Family

"From its opening pages, The Cursed Friend grabs the reader's attention and doesn't let go. Beatrice Salvioni has written a magnetic coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of 1930's Italy and the threat of fascism. The center of the novel lies in the complicated and yet essential friendship between two girls, Maddalena and Francesca, and their journey toward understanding the boundaries of right and wrong." -- Laura Spence-Ash, bestselling author of Beyond That, the Sea

"Salvioni's debut novel vibrantly captures the exuberance and tumult of adolescence as well as the bonds of friendship." -- Booklist

"In her gripping novel set in fascist Italy, and in the tradition of Elsa Morante and Natalia Ginzburg, Beatrice Salvioni gives powerful voice to the female experience in Italy."
-- Jenny McPhee, author of The Center of Things

"Echoes of Elena Ferrante, Natalia Ginzburg and Alba de Céspedes . . . Salvioni's prose is transfixing and visceral . . . [The Cursed Friend] feels timeless." -- Financial Times

"Francesca and Maddalena are vibrant characters for whom we quickly root. Their central relationship and cruel initiation into the world of men is richly imagined. I'm excited to read what Beatrice does next" -- The Observer

"A widescreen, sensory, visual story that starts with an edge-of-your-seat, crowd-pleasing trick ... The characters are big and colourful."
-- The Times (UK)

"This debut grips your soul and never lets go." -- Le Point

"A little gem that proves essential, confirming that Italian women's literature is undergoing a revolution." -- Vogue Spain

"Reading The Cursed Friend, one immediately understands the reasons for the rapturous reception expected ...The intensity of the writing. The tight, believable dialogue ... the visceral and powerful friendship between two different but connected young girls." -- La Repubblica