The Little I Knew

Chiara Valerio author Ailsa Wood translator

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Foundry Editions

Publishing:10th Jun '25

£13.99

This title is due to be published on 10th June, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

The Little I Knew cover

The Little I Knew

In Scauri, an end of the line seaside town forty miles or so from Rome, Vittoria dies unexpectedly in her bath. Whilst the townsfolk meet the event with sad but respectful southern Italian silence, Lea, the town lawyer, wants to investigate. Who was Vittoria, what were her secrets, why had she mysteriously arrived in Scauri thirty years earlier? And was her relationship with Lea all that it seemed?

In this unforgettable portrait of a small town and the women who live there, reverberations from the past catch up with present. Through the silences, Vittoria’s story is revealed and everything - passions, emotions, and relationships - changes forever.

Novelist, editor, critic, cultural commentator and mathematician Chiara Valerio is a sensation in Italy and The Little I Knew is a huge bestseller. It was shortlisted for the 2024 Premio Strega.

With intelligence, irony and tenderness, Valerio radially questions the nature of desire and its energy

-- Paolo di Paolo * La Repubblica *

Whodunnit, an investigation into small town life, class, secrets and lies make this a classic. Valerio has written a hugely original literary novel that is accessible at the same time.

-- Letizia Pezzali

The Little I Knew makes you want to live. It makes you want to go back to your home town, if only for a few days, and live.

-- Concita De Greg

  • Short-listed for Premio Strega 2024

ISBN: 9781068693489

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown