Le Café Suspendu by Amanda Sthers

 Le Café Suspendu

by Amanda Sthers is a new book by Grasset. It's intriguing and it must be read; through this one in fact there is the fascination for a city, Naples, a city everyone should visit before to die, and its people.

But...Why café suspendu? In particular in Naples, a person can leaves in a bar money for a second coffee, for a person in difficulty and the most beautiful thing: completely unknown to him/her. A tradition this one started during the last world war. The barist in general knows his customers and the ones living a problematic moment.These ones are the people of the so-called: caffè sospeso.

The multiformity of people met by the author is incredible: the narrator, first of all is Jacques Madelin, 62 years: french, he changed his existence, starting to live in Italy, Naples, because of love: once love over, he enjoys to spend time observing people at le Café Nube. 

Enchanting and favolistic characters creates this universe of short stories.The story of Fernanda and Silvia is emblematic. Fernanda notices that the husband is not anymore as in the past. The man fell in love for Silvia and Fernanda, a very rich and practical lady, will reach an economical compromise with the young girl, buying the future with her beloved husband and making happy Silvia, who will leave Italy forever.

The story of the chinese doctor, is maybe the most beautiful one. I just adore it: chinese medicine tries to help people before that they fall sick. To Chinese medicine there is an harmonic fusion between yling and ylang, the best and baddest part of our body and soul and this equilibrism help the person to maintain his/her health. When this harmonic pact is over, a person falls ill. It will be thanks to his patients, that also the chinese doctor, after all, will heal.

Agrippina was a very old lady and the grand-daughter wants to try to understand what happiness is, if only her grand-mother would tell her. Then, one day she meets along the street and unknown man...

The book spans through legends and real stories, in a fresco that it is at the same time fresh and meditative.

Highly recommended.

 

I thank Grasset for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori