La Vita Segreta degli Scrittori La vie secrète des écrivains by Guillaume Musso

 La Vita Segreta degli Scrittori

La vie secrète des écrivains by Guillaume Musso hypnotized me from the first lines, and I couldn't help myself: I had to read it till the end in the immediate. I had bought it at my book club, Club Per Voi several weeks ago.

Nathan Fawles is a successul writer who, at the age of 35 years, for unknown and mysterious reasons decides of leaving the writing activity putting down many fans, admirors and in general all the literary environment. No one understood why Nathan had taken this drastic decision after three successfull novels. For all answer, Nathan decides to leave the big cities where he lived in for his buen retiro, Beaumont, a fictional island close to the world described by Jean Giono, populated by few locals and some new residents attracted by the peace of that enchanting place.

The scheme of Musso is the one we started to know with other books: one of the most important characters will become marginal and will be eliminated at some point.

A boy, Raphael Bataille, with the passion for writing, after 20 years from the events described before, decides to afford to the island of Beaumont, working during the summer season at the local bookstore owned by old Audibert. 

Of course he is there not just for the bookstore, but because he brought with him his manuscript and wants to ask to to Nathan Fawles of reading it. The first approach as you'll read is not the happiest one of this world but at the end the writer will become more conciliant in particular when he also receives the visit of a beautiful attracting woman and something changes in his soul.

A homicide at the same time is consumed in the island, putting astonished people in profound costernation. 

The story built by Musso is one of the most complicated and emotionally strong never read. I can't tell you more. I leave you to this hypnotic author and his book, with the idea that if you love these kind of books, this one will capture your attention and if you are a new writer, you'll find a lot of good lessons and advices as well.

Anna Maria Polidori