The Sun and Other Stars - by Brigid Pasulka (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From PEN/Hemingway award winner Brigid Pasulka, the "charming...refreshing tale" (The New York Times Book Review) of a widowed butcher and his son whose losses are transformed into love in a small town on the Italian Riviera.

In the seaside village of San Benedetto, twenty-two-year-old Etto finds himself adrift. Within the past year, Etto has not only lost both his twin brother and his mother, but in his grief has become estranged from his father, the local butcher. While his father passes the time with the men of the town in the fine tradition of Italian men everywhere--a reverential obsession with soccer--Etto retreats ever further from his day-to-day life, seeking solace in the hills above the town.

But then a Ukrainian soccer star, the great Yuri Fil, sweeps into San Benedetto, taking refuge himself from an international scandal. Soon Yuri and his captivating sister Zhuki invite Etto into their world of sport, celebrity, loyalty, and humor. Under their influence, Etto begins to reconstruct his relationship with his father and, slowly, open himself back up to the world. Who knows: perhaps the game of soccer isn't just a waste of time, and perhaps San Benedetto, his father, love, and life itself might have more to offer him than he ever believed possible.

"Full of light and surprising grace, [The Sun and Other Stars] is both a poetic coming-of-age story and a poignant examination of the nature of family and belonging" (The Boston Globe). It is a gorgeous, celebratory novel about families, compromise, and community, a big-hearted masterpiece that showcases a writer at the joyful height of her talents.

Review Quotes

"The Sun and Other Stars bursts with a Mediterranean ease and exuberance... energetic and carefree, reminiscent perhaps of Dave Eggers or Salman Rushdie."-- "Bookpage"

"[A] celebration of young love, sunshine and la dolce vita..."-- "O, The Oprah Magazine -- Editor's Pick, "3 Books for Wintry Weekends""

"[A] heartwarming second novel from award-winning writer Pasulka. . . [She] scores a refreshing success with her affectionate portrait of a small-town community and her fresh angle on an aching heart."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"How in the world did I just lose my heart to the entire village of San Benedetto, to its butchers and playboys and slackers and, most of all, its large population of swaggering elderly (mea culpa) soccer fans? Or maybe the question is this: How can a story about unbearable grief be so funny, so bawdy, so vibrant with the earthy joys of ordinary life? To that one, I know the answer: when it is told by someone with the uncommon wit of the fearless, tender, wise Brigid Pasulka. The Sun and Other Stars is, as its title promises, a wondrous and radiant novel."--Julia Glass "author of The Widower's Tale and Three Junes"

"Poetic... A beautiful story rich in detail and authenticity."-- "Booklist"

"Read and savored slowly, it is akin to those long, hot summer days Pasulka so vividly captures. Full of light and surprising grace, it is both a poetic coming-of-age story and a poignant examination of the nature of family and belonging."-- "The Boston Globe"

"What The Art of Fielding did for college baseball, The Sun and Other Stars succeeds in doing for pickup soccer."-- "Men's Journal"

"What a smashing novel. Even more intricately braided and moving than her excellent first one. Fans of both Dante and the Azzuri will find plenty to relish and celebrate."--James McManus "author of Going to the Sun and Positively 5th Street"

"With a magician's sleight of hand, Brigid Pasulka once again conjures up a stunning chorus of characters. . .The Sun and Other Stars is storytelling at its best, and Pasulka has made magic with this wise, poignant tale of love, community, and the sport that brings them all together!"--Gail Tsukiyama "author of The Samurai's Garden"