Coming of age stories are something I quite enjoy, as they hone in on a particularly delicate, messy, and influential part of every teenager and adult’s life.
Lost on Me also has a similar cover philosphy to Kairos, which I discussed last week, and quite enjoy the contrast of a black and white image with a bold colour. So, now you know how it caught my eye one day in a bookshop.
Raimo’s novel follows Vero, a girl that has grown up in Rome with an anxious, overly present mother and father obsessed with hygiene and architecture, alongside a brother who seems to be the preferred child. Suffocated by this, Vero flees to Paris at just fifteen years old, shacking up with a boyfriend she has had for less than a week before starting a successful clothing stall to fund her runaway to Mexico. She also becomes a writer.
This novel seems to contain a cat and mouse element, as Vero tries her hardest to avoid being caught by authorities and tracked by her relentless mother. Moreover, she is a young girl, stupid and inexperienced, falling in love with various people that sensible girls would steer clear of.
I confess, the concept sounds somewhat messy, but slightly left-field concepts can make for quite good stories when executed well. Lost on Me, based on reviews, seems to possess a cynical, absurd, and ironic attitude within its narrative, which is something that I often favour in these stories.
Is it a masterpiece? I wouldn’t know, I have yet to read it. However, I certainly would like to, as it seems to capture that intensely complex and impulsive attitude that controls most of our late- and post-puberty years.
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