Book Review: Sweet Dreams, Little One by Massimo Gramellini

I usually share book reviews over on Hanging On Every Word but I was recently sent a book to review which I felt would be more fitting reviewed on here. The book I am talking about is Sweet Dreams, Little One by Massimo Gramellini.

Massimo himself is a household name in his native Italy and is deputy editor at La Stampa, writing a daily column for the front page. This is his story – and what an incredibly poignant one it is.

Synopsis

It’s early morning on New Year’s Eve, and nine year old Massimo wakes up to a long, doleful cry and the disconcerting image of his dad being supported by two strangers. Inexplicably, his mother has disappeared, leaving only a vague trail of perfume in his room and her dressing gown bundled up at the foot of his bed. Where has she gone? Will she ever come back? And will Massimo be able to say sorry, after quarrelling with her the night before?

At turns poignant and funny, Sweet Dreams, Little One – the most successful book to come out of Italy last year, and an international sensation – is the story of a secret which has been kept hidden for forty years and the uplifting tale of a boy who, as he grows into an adult, has to learn how to cope with the pain of bereavement and the demons of his own nightmares.

After reading the synopsis, I was unsure how I would find this novel and for the first few chapters, I found myself dipping in and out. However as Massimo started to explain his confusion about his mother’s disappearance, it became clear what had really happened and just how a child’s brain can turn something into something completely different. His mum leaves him unable to cope with his pain and turning to his personal demon who often guides him down the wrong path. His relationship with his father begins to deteriorate and he rarely gets to see his godmother anymore.

All this changes forty years down the line. His father has passed away and he sees his godmother for the first time in many, many years. She tells him it is time he knew the truth and hands him a letter. The contents inside change his world completely.

Whilst it became clear what had happened very early on in the book, it was interesting to see how Massimo described these events and how he perceived them as a child. I know plenty of people who have been through similar experiences whilst being too young to really understand what is going on (my fiance is one of them) and I cannot imagine how confusing that must be for someone of such a young age. The writing at times is often poignant and heartbreaking – I am not ashamed to admit I shed a tear more than once.

Whilst the contents of the letter are hardly shocking to the adult reader, they completely change the world for the adult Massimo. All the built up resentment and excuses he has made for his behaviour over the years come to the surface and to finally deal with the pain, exorcising his personal demon in the process.

This book is a must read for anyone who has suffered loss and struggled with the demons in their nightmares. Although I haven’t been through the same experience, this story definitely does make you realise just how much family mean to you and how you should hold them dear.

 

Book was sent for the purpose of review