Me and You

Jan 27, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story is set mainly in Rome in the year 2000, and though I’d love to read about the beauty of Rome, most of the scenery mentioned is that of the forgotten cellar that Lorenzo retreats to for one week. The cellar is dank and musty and yet to Lorenzo, nothing could be better. This is where the reader finds out much of Lorenzo’s life. He is an outcast in school and when he hears of the popular kids going skiing for a week he desperately wants to go as well (he tricks his mother into thinking he...more The story is set mainly in Rome in the year 2000, and though I’d love to read about the beauty of Rome, most of the scenery mentioned is that of the forgotten cellar that Lorenzo retreats to for one week. The cellar is dank and musty and yet to Lorenzo, nothing could be better. This is where the reader finds out much of Lorenzo’s life. He is an outcast in school and when he hears of the popular kids going skiing for a week he desperately wants to go as well (he tricks his mother into thinking he went skiing with said popular kids). Not only does Lorenzo really like to ski, he’s good at it and he wants to show everyone else that he is too. Readers young and old can relate to this part of the story easily. There is a point in adolecense and even adulthood where one is stuck trying to find oneself and Niccolò Ammaniti emulates that feeling very well through Lorenzo. Seeing things as Lorenzo sees them is quite gripping especially when Olivia, reluctantly, comes to stay in the cellar with him. The story is not only about adolecense and finding a place where one belongs, it is also about family, addiction, and broken promises.

Lorenzo and Olivia’s characters seem completely different at a first glance. Lorenzo is just a fourteen-year-old boy hanging out in a cellar for a peaceful week of video game playing, while Olivia is frantically searching for money in all of her old boxes to fulfill her addiction to drugs. Although both characters went to the cellar to find two completely different things, they both left the cellar with an infinite understanding of one another. Lorenzo’s character is so strong for a fourteen-year-old, dealing with the lack of friends, a sister whom he hardly knows and desperately needs to help, and yet, it is very believable because he is still vulnerable.

Lastly, the quality of writing that Ammaniti puts on display is superb. It is simplistic and real and there certainly is not anything I question while reading except, maybe, “Why can’t I write like that?”

Overall: Add this one to your queue of books to read. This is a well-written novel and definitely deserves a read. Like I said before, readers young and old will like this book not only because of the quality but also because of how relatable the story really is.

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Nov 06, 2012 Piperitapitta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autori-italiani, romanzo-breve, letteratura-italiana, adolescenti, dal-romanzo-al-film

Mio fratello è figlio unico

Domenica [4 novembre 2012] sono andata a vedere il film di Bertolucci.
Bello, struggente, commovente.
Ero prevenuta, anche se a me la storia era piaciuta, soprattutto perché avevo letto che Ammaniti aveva riscritto il finale per il film.
Non mi aspetto che un film sia la copia conforme del romanzo o del racconto da cui è tratto, ma solo che ne conservi lo spirito, che non ne tradisca l'anima, ed era quello che temevo.
Ma non è così, perché perché perché... ma io non voglio...more Mio fratello è figlio unico

Domenica [4 novembre 2012] sono andata a vedere il film di Bertolucci.
Bello, struggente, commovente.
Ero prevenuta, anche se a me la storia era piaciuta, soprattutto perché avevo letto che Ammaniti aveva riscritto il finale per il film.
Non mi aspetto che un film sia la copia conforme del romanzo o del racconto da cui è tratto, ma solo che ne conservi lo spirito, che non ne tradisca l'anima, ed era quello che temevo.
Ma non è così, perché perché perché... ma io non voglio parlare del film, ma di queste poche pagine di Ammaniti, che ho riletto subito dopo.
Se io sapessi inventare storie, e raccontarle con semplicità, vorrei farlo come fa Niccolò Ammaniti.
Se io sapessi raccontare agli adulti il mondo visto con gli occhi dei bambini e degli adolescenti con purezza, paura e tanto coraggio, vorrei farlo come fa Niccolò Ammaniti.
Se io sapessi come farlo, se io sapessi inventare queste storie, mi basterebbe guardarmi intorno e trovare mille Michele che scendono in un buco nero anche se hanno paura, mille Cristiano che cercano di trascinarsi fuori da case che sono prigioni, mille Lorenzo nascosti in cantina per nascondersi da un mondo che non riesce ad accettarli così come sono.
Se io sapessi scrivere e pensare storie come Niccolò Ammaniti vorrei restare come lui, bambina per sempre a fianco di Michele, Cristiano e Lorenzo, un'adulta ancora capace di sognare e guardare un mondo in cui ballare cantando Montagne Verdi, ed essere Olivia per ognuno di loro.

Montagne verdi

Non capisco tanto accanimento nei confronti di questo racconto, perché di racconto lungo si tratta, di Niccolò Ammaniti.
Questioni sul prezzo, questioni sulla carta, questioni sulla lunghezza, questioni sull'interlinea: che le parole abbiano un valore a seconda del peso?
È un racconto: a volte delicato e a volte duro, a volte commovente e a volte fastidioso, doloroso e ingenuo, così com'è l'adolescenza, così come sa essere Ammaniti.
È solo un soffio di vita.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8SuNm...(less)

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Dec 26, 2011 Kelanth, numquam risit ubi dracones vivunt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: narrativa

Libricino dal peso apparentemente leggero, poche pagine, caratteri grandi, grandi spazi, ma che ti fa affondare giù come un sasso in un lago dentro il buio e la luce di una cantina, sempre più in fondo, non solo mentre lo leggi ma anche dopo averlo letto, così come i cerchi di onde dopo che il sasso ha colpito l'acqua.

Descrizione di un'adolescenza romanzata, che risveglia in noi domande mai sopite. Una storia toccante sulle promesse non mantenute. A volte le storie sono corte, ma non per questo...more

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Jan 28, 2011 Margherita Dolcevita rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: prestitoscambio, temporaneo

E' un libro uscito per far cassa? Probabilmente sì.
E' un romanzo troppo breve? Può darsi.
Costa troppo per essere un racconto? Beh, se sei Briatore no, però 10€ per un libricino del genere sono forse esagerati.

Meno male che posso strafottermene. E' un sollievo.
Eh sì, perchè il libro l'ho preso in biblioteca (quindi io i soldi all'Einaudi non glieli ho dati), perchè avevo giusto quelle due ore da riempire in serata (e che palle con 'sti libri lunghi, se uno legge solo 100 pagine non casca mica il...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Diana H. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fiction

WOW – this book would not let me put it down.

The story starts out telling of a teen-age boy who just wants to be himself and have people accept him for who he is. This is not as easy as it sounds, because Lorenzo is different. He prefers to spend time by himself and doesn’t like to talk very much, especially with people he doesn’t know.

His parents would like him to be a ‘popular’ kid and are very conscious of the appearance of things. Lorenzo know this and because he loves his mother, one day he...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Really quick read. It comes in under 200 pages and I read this one lazy morning. The story is told from the viewpoint of Lorenzo, a teenager who feels different than the rest of the kids at his school. He feels like he has to camouflage himself to fit in; he needs to hide his real self so he does not become an outcast or get bullied every day. So, he makes up a fib to his mother: he was asked to go on a skiing trip with his "friends" from school. She is so happy that he he has made friends she c...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Anastasia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporanei, italia

Visto che esce il nuovo film del Bertolucci, preso da questo libricino, mi sono degnata di leggere seriamente Ammaniti per la prima volta.

Niente di malvagio. Niente di grandioso né orribile. Né propriamente "bello". Un libro con una sua decenza, che di questi tempi nel marketing italiano è già tanto.
Ammaniti cerca di ritornare, o perlomeno, fare il classico quattordicenne disadattato che cerca di inserirsi in un ambiente che non lo rispecchia. Troppe associazioni per tanti lettori, situazione co...more Visto che esce il nuovo film del Bertolucci, preso da questo libricino, mi sono degnata di leggere seriamente Ammaniti per la prima volta.

Niente di malvagio. Niente di grandioso né orribile. Né propriamente "bello". Un libro con una sua decenza, che di questi tempi nel marketing italiano è già tanto.
Ammaniti cerca di ritornare, o perlomeno, fare il classico quattordicenne disadattato che cerca di inserirsi in un ambiente che non lo rispecchia. Troppe associazioni per tanti lettori, situazione comune e quindi elemento di comprensione immediata, che avvicina il lettore empatico.

"Una mattina ero a casa per un mal di testa finto e ho visto in televisione un documentario sugli insetti imitatori.
Da qualche parte, ai tropici, vive una mosca che imita le vespe. Ha l'addome a strisce gialle e nere, le antenne e gli occhi sporgenti e ha anche un pungiglione finto. Non fa niente, è buona. Ma, vestita come una vespa, gli uccelli, le lucertole, persino gli uomini la temono. Può entrare tranquilla nei vespai, uno dei luoghi più pericolosi e vigilati del mondo, e nessuno la riconosce.
Avevo sbagliato tutto.
Ecco cosa dovevo fare."

Peccato che questa tattica funzioni non proprio bene, e se c'era l'illusione di essersi fatto degli amici, ecco che la possibilità di un invito alla settimana bianca a Cortina che si presenta come una definitiva rivalsa dell'emarginato sulle sue delusioni, e l'entusiasmo nel dire già alla mamma "sono stato invitato, vado a Cortina" e poi la realtà: che non puoi neanche rimediare al tuo errore aspettando l'effettivo invito, perché proprio nessuno aveva intenzione di invitarti. E però alla mamma non si riesce a dire la verità, lei che si era nascosta nel bagno per sfogare un pianto gioioso, e quindi meglio far finta di andare lo stesso, assicurarla di averla veramente resa felice con qualche chiamata improvvisata, mentre lui dimora proprio nella cantina della sua casa.
Parte la settimana della valle dell'Eden: la solitudine tanto agognata, nessuna interazione sociale ansiosa e faticosa, solo qualche libro horror, playstation, cibo e acqua, e tanto tempo per godere dell'unico coetaneo con cui stia effettivamente bene: se stesso.

E poi arriva il leggero stridore del racconto: Olivia. Olivia è..e ha fatto..etc etc, se vi dico pure questo fate prima a non leggerlo proprio.
Vi basti sapere che a mio parere sembra quasi un elemento tirato fuori dal nulla, in un momento di stasi per l'inventiva del nostro Niccolò. Bene, l'ho messo in cantina, e mo' che gli faccio fare? Ma sì, tiriamo fuori questo personaggio dal nulla. Che poi magari non è andata proprio così, ma per come ha sviluppato poi il rapporto sembra fatto sul momento e concluso così, tanto per concluderlo prima che sia ora di cenare, del tipo. Le restanti venti, trenta pagine sono quasi ammassate così, connesse da un filo debole, o forse sono io che non ho visto una ipotetica essenzialità nella resa. Nah: per me è fatto molto alla buona. Non si ha la sensazione di un legame solido o particolare fra i due, non sono entrata dentro di loro, sono rimasta sulla soglia del processo degli eventi fino alla fine. Sembra che abbia preso due marionette, e proprio perché tra poco arriva la pappa, abbia concluso il suo teatrino accostando le prime idee che gli venivano in mente. Sì, proprio così mi sento a leggere la seconda parte di questo racconto.
Poi chiudendoci un occhio ha fatto la scena commovente d'obbligo, non importa se non ha fatto in tempo a creare le giuste prerogative, basi, perché il lettore - meglio, io - si senta inserito nella successione degli avvenimenti.
Tanto mi pagano un fior fior di soldini lo stesso, che me frega?
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Aug 22, 2012 Bertrand Brasil rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Em Eu e você, o enorme talento de Niccolò Ammaniti para criar personagens fortemente humanos, pelos quais é fácil afeiçoar-se, e sua capacidade de contar histórias comoventes reúnem-se em um relato sobre mentiras tão pueris quanto inescapáveis, promessas nunca cumpridas e tudo aquilo que se quer, mas não se pode ter. Ou ser.

Tímido, anti-social e neurótico, mas também sensível, meticuloso e perspicaz, Lorenzo tem dificuldade de se comunicar com o mundo. Para realizar seu sonho de viver isolado, s...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'll skip the plot synopsis, since you can get that in the book description, or in the other hundred or so reviews already posted on this book.

Me and You is the first book I have read by Ammaniti, and I can see why he has so many adoring readers. He has an amazing talent for sparse, but powerful narrative. His command of dialogue is inspiring. The pace and building of tension is slow, par for a European writer, and I'm okay with that. I enjoy the ride.

My only criticism would be Lorenzo. For much...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Jan Derksen marked it as to-read · review of another edition

De veertienjarige Lorenzo maakt moeilijk contact met leeftijdgenoten. Hij wil het liefst alleen zijn. Zijn woedeaanvallen zijn inmiddels verdwenen; tegenwoordig excelleert hij in het imiteren van het gedrag en uiterlijk van zijn klasgenoten om zo onzichtbaar te zijn voor iedereen. Zijn moeder maakt zich zorgen en Lorenzo is zich daar pijnlijk van bewust. Om haar gerust te stellen vertelt hij haar een leugen. Die leugen brengt hem in contact met zijn halfzusje Olivia, over wie hij alleen maar sle

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Jul 05, 2012 Kim Herrington rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-for-ya, translation

Lorenzo is a fourteen year old with a problem. He has no friends and doesn't want any, but he wants to please his parents who want him to be normal. He has tried to look the part of fitting in at school but that hasn't been quite as successful as he had hoped. After eavesdropping on some "cool" kids at school, he tells his mom that they have invited him to join them on a ski trip. On the morning of the trip, he convinces his mom to let him off away from the house where the kids are supposed to b...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Ruth Dugdall rated it 4 of 5 stars

Me & You by Niccolo Ammaniti

I was really looking forward to this book, having read I’m Not Scared and finding it a real tour de force.

Me & You has less narrative drive than I’m not Scared, but still explores Ammaniti’s fascination with children discovering the secrets of adults.

Lorenzo Cuni is a 14-year-old loner, whose has an intense (possibly unhealthy) relationship with his mother. To please her, and as part of an internal fantasy, he says he has been invited on a week long ski trip...more

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Mar 22, 2012 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: translation, tweens_and_teens

With a review of "Niccolo Ammaniti disgusts me for how talented he is ... he has written a masterpiece," and "...has distinguished himself as the most talented of his peers," I expected something better. The story itself was ok - a teen with anger issues and maybe some mental illness lies to his parents and hides in the basement of his building for a week. At one point, his half-sister shows up. You can feel some of his dissociative behavior, so I suppose that part is well written, and the story...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Katarina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, rezensiert-ya

Lorenzo is no typical teenager, he is a sheep in wolves clothing or as he puts it a fly pretending to be a wasp. In school this tactic helps him get by but it does notmake him any friends. So he remains uninvited to the ski-trip his classmatesare planning. On a whim he tells his mother he’s going and decides to spend theentire week hiding in the cellar. A comfortable seven days awaits Lorenzo, untilhis half-sister Olivia shows up uninvited and demands shelter or she will tell on him.

This is asho...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Dana Schroeder rated it 3 of 5 stars

Lorenzo is a fourteen-year-old boy that doesn't fit in with his peers. He learns at a young age what he must do to fit in enough so that he won't be bullied, but he always feels a sense of "aloneness." "But the longer I put on this show, the more different I felt. The chasm that separated me from the others grew deeper. On my own I was happy, with the others I always had to pretend. Sometimes this scared me. Would I have to imitate them for the rest of my life?" (38).

When some of Lorenzo's cla...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Marco Marino rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Quante volte nella lettura vi siete immedesimati in un personaggio? Be’, ecco … in questo libro per me non c’è stato bisogno , è stato come guardarmi allo specchio.

Io sono stato Lorenzo

A volte vorrei rinnegare quello che sono stato, vorrei ritornare indietro per sfruttare tutto il tempo perso; ma non posso…
Sono diverse le immagini che mi ritornano in mente : da bambino chiuso nella mia stanza a creare sempre nuove storie con i cartoni animati visti in televisione; oppure quando andavo in campagn...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Chiara Pagliochini rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lorenzo è un adolescente ossessionato dalla normalità. Normale lo vorrebbero i suoi genitori, preoccupati che non abbia amici. Normale si vorrebbe lui, per farli felici. Ma essere come tutti gli altri, fare quello che fanno gli altri lo fa sentire fuori posto, un pesce fuor d'acqua costretto a mimetizzarsi per sopravvivere.
Una bugia è l'inizio di tutto: Lorenzo finge di essere stato invitato in settimana bianca da una bellissima compagna di classe, convince i genitori, se ne auto-convince. A po...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Natalie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2013

U romanu Ja i ti, junak je ponovo dječak. Lorenco, odbačen od svoje sredine jer se jednostavno u nju ne uklapa. Umjesto da se igra sa prijeteljima, on provodi vrijeme sa bakom Lurom, ali nitko ne smije znati. Pažnja i briga bogatih roditelja zaokupljenih samima sobom svodi se na to da ga odvedu psihijatru. Da bi ih učinio sretnima, on kreira svijet koji bi oni željeli – odluči im reći da će zimski raspust provesti sa prijateljima na skijanju jer su ga zvali. Umjesto toga on raspust provodi sakri...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Elizabeth La Lettrice rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: italy, life-journey-stories, stories-about-outsiders, italian-writers

I feel guilty for rating too many books as "5's" but I've come to the conclusion that in my rating system, a book can get a 5 if I loved it so much that I wouldn't change one thing about it.

This book was so short that it felt/read like a short story. However, it was so easy to connect to the protagonist that it felt like I'd been reading about him for much longer. Much credit should be given to the author in that respect - its a clear display of talent in my opinion.

The story followed a 14 year...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Leen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

Lorenzo heeft anger management issues, die hij doorheen de jaren heeft leren onderdrukken waardoor hij helemaal in zichzelf gekeerd is. Zijn ouders maakt hij wijs dat hij vrienden heeft op school, zodat zij zich geen zorgen hoeven te maken om hem. Hij gaat zelfs zover in zijn leugen, dat hij doet alsof hij op skivakantie vertrekt, om in werkelijkheid een week lang te bivakkeren in de kelder van het appartementsgebouw waar hij woont. Zijn rust wordt ruw verstoord door zijn gekke, opdringerige hal...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Anncleire rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

L’ho scritto già e lo ripeto non mi ricordo perché ho richiesto questo libro a Netgally quando potevo procurarmelo facilmente da tutt’altra parte e leggerlo in italiano ma devo dire che “Me and You” è stata una piacevole sorpresa e leggerlo in inglese secondo me gli ha aggiunto un tocco in più che in italiano non aveva.

In una Roma insolita che viviamo attraverso un giardino e una specie di cella di isolamento leggiamo la storia di Lorenzo Cuni un ragazzino di quattordici anni che ha uno strano r...more L’ho scritto già e lo ripeto non mi ricordo perché ho richiesto questo libro a Netgally quando potevo procurarmelo facilmente da tutt’altra parte e leggerlo in italiano ma devo dire che “Me and You” è stata una piacevole sorpresa e leggerlo in inglese secondo me gli ha aggiunto un tocco in più che in italiano non aveva.

In una Roma insolita che viviamo attraverso un giardino e una specie di cella di isolamento leggiamo la storia di Lorenzo Cuni un ragazzino di quattordici anni che ha uno strano rapporto con i suoi coetanei. Non si sente mai a proprio agio, sempre a doversi nascondersi nel modi di fare degli altri senza avere una reale possibilità di farcela. Attaccato in modo viscerale alla madre un giorno decide di raccontarle che è stato invitato ad andare una gita in montagna. Gita che non compirà mai perché si nasconde in appartamento del palazzo in cui abita che non viene usato e rimane lì per una settimana. E proprio lì lo raggiungerà la sua sorellastra Olivia che dovrà imparare a conoscere.

Lorenzo è uno di quei ragazzi che vogliono scomparire tra la folla, ma essendo debole, non avendo degli amici, scappando da qualsiasi confronto si ritrova a essere preso in giro, ma soprattutto viene emarginato. L’unica cosa che gli importa è rimanere nel suo mondo a leggere, ascoltare musica e giocare con la playstation. A volte è irritante il suo modo di comportarsi perché non prende mai davvero una decisione si lascia trasportare dalla corrente, senza mai agire. Anche con Olivia, è lei che impone la sua presenza, è lei che lo costringe ad accertarla. Lui non fa altro che adeguarsi. Sbatte i piedi, protesta, ma non ottiene niente se non di piegarsi. Non che alla fine gli dispiaccia. Il tempo con la sorella è fondamentale per entrambi. Perché anche se solo per pochi giorni sono profondamente uniti in quella profonda intimità che si viene a creare solo tra fratelli. Ma l’incanto si spezza, la settimana finisce e rimane solo un vago senso di sconfitta. Definitivo nel modo in cui lo possono essere solo gli addii.

Il protagonista è Lorenzo i personaggi che appaiono sono solo comparse in un mondo interiore ricco ma sterile perché il ragazzo è incapace di condividerlo. Se non riesce a farlo indefinitiva resta solo un perdente, uno di quelli destinati a rimanere sullo sfondo della propria vita. In realtà non sappiamo niente di lui se non quello che rivela in questo lungo monologo e alla fine rimaniamo sconcertati perché in qualche modo la fine è imprevedibile e tragica. E quella promessa che sembrava custodire il “Me and You” si spezza sotto il peso di una realtà che impallidisce e si frantuma sotto gli occhi impotenti del lettore che assiste allo sfacelo. Non ci rendiamo conto subito, perché Ammaniti è crudele nella sua freddezza e ci lascia a chiederci “Perché”.

Il suo stile è asciutto e va dritto al punto lasciandoci vagamente spaventati di fronte a questo nascondiglio che si apre anche su emozioni nascoste dentro il ragazzo. Il mito di Alessia Roncati che dovrebbe essere una fonte di salvezza resta solo un fantasma sullo sfondo. E non abbiamo risposte alla fine se non l’unica che sempre ci ritroviamo alla fine: la vita ci presenta sempre il conto davanti agli occhi. L’esistenza è amara, ci si rifugia dove si può in un mondo che scorre veloce e ci lascia indietro solo se siamo diversi dagli altri.

Ammaniti in questo libro rivela un profondo senso di distacco, ma anche di fredda lucidità mentre ci dipinge la settimana dii questo ragazzino costretto ad affrontare per la prima volta il mondo vero, perché fino a quel momento era rimasto rinchiuso in una bolla di affetto soffocante creata dalla madre e ne esce sconfitto, perché incapace di opporsi realmente al mare di problemi che lo investono. E la morte fa aleggiare il suo alito cattivo.

Impressionante la parola che mi viene in mente per descriverlo. E per di più devo dire che in inglese mi ha dato qualcosa che probabilmente in italiano non avrei colto.

Ringrazio Netgalley e Grove/Atlantic, Inc. per avermi dato la possibilità di leggere questo romanzo in cambio del mio impegno per una recensione.

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Jan 02, 2013 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Translated from the Italian, Me and You is a compelling story about growing up and not fitting in.

Lorenzo Cumi is a 14 year old boy who is different. The only child of wealthy, snobby parents, he is coddled by his over bearing mother, who has a deep desire for her son to be popular. Problems in school began early for Lorenzo, so his parents send him to therapy. His wacky therapist diagnosed Lorenzo with "narcissistic personality disorder", but really he is just embarrassed to talk to others eve...more Translated from the Italian, Me and You is a compelling story about growing up and not fitting in.

Lorenzo Cumi is a 14 year old boy who is different. The only child of wealthy, snobby parents, he is coddled by his over bearing mother, who has a deep desire for her son to be popular. Problems in school began early for Lorenzo, so his parents send him to therapy. His wacky therapist diagnosed Lorenzo with "narcissistic personality disorder", but really he is just embarrassed to talk to others even though deep down longs to be like them. He tries to fit in:

"little by little I worked out how I should act at school, I had to keep to myself, but not too much, otherwise I stuck out.

I was like a sardine in a school of sardines. I camouflaged myself like a stick insect on dry branches. And I learned to control my anger. I imagined I had a tank in my stomach, and when it filled up I emptied it out through my feet and the anger ended up in the ground and penetrated into the world's guts and was burned up by the eternal flames.

Now nobody bothered me."

Tired of his mother bugging him about friends when he'd rather sneak off to play canasta with his grandmother, he makes up a story that he has been invited by the cool kids on a week long, exclusive ski trip, but Lorenzo has other plans. After his mother drops him off for the ski trip, he sneaks back home and hides out in a dark and dingy room in the basement of his building. He has preplanned his retreat, and the room has the core essentials he'll need for the week --including a toilet and window. He has, food, drinks, Stephen King novels, and other supplies, and although isolated, he looks forward to his time alone and some quiet.

However, his week does not go off as planned. He receives frequent calls to his cellphone from his mother asking how he is doing. He also has a surprise visitor to his basement retreat -- his significantly older and rebellious half-sister Olivia, whose been estranged from the family and who he hasn't seen in years. Olivia, like her half-brother has issues -- and it is through the time he spends with Olivia that he is forced to deal with own issues as well.

Me and You is more of a novella -- just 153 pages. The majority of the story takes place in a one week period when Lorenzo was 14 and Olivia was 23, and at the end, the story briefly flashes forward 10 years. Told in the first person by Lorenzo, it's an emotional story that seemed very realistic to me -- a boy who longs to belong, yet someone who is most comfortable alone.

It took me just two hours to read this book and, I really liked it a lot. The translation was well done. I only wished the story would have been longer as I really wanted to know more about Lorenzo between the ages of 14-24.

READ IT!(less)

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Nov 03, 2012 Cruna rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 26, 2012 Slawka Scarso rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, narrativa-italiana

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Lorenzo is a teenager with no friends. One day he tells his mother he's been invited to go skiing with his class mates. His mother - for whom he has a disturbing attachment - is so happy his son finally has friends, she starts to cry. So he doesn't find the courage to tell her he was just joking. The book starts on the day he was supposed to go skiing, only he doesn't join his friends, he ends up spending the entire week in the garage in the basement, where he has stored all the necessary food a...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Scritturaselvaggia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

È chiaro che il libro mi è piaciuto un po’, ma che Ammaniti è stanco come scrittore, anche se io lo amo lo stesso, perché di belle cose ne ha scritte tante e per me può bastare per ammirarlo. In realtà sarebbe sufficiente “Ti prendo e ti porto via” per essere annoverato tra i miei idoli. Però c’è stanchezza in questo libro che sembra forzato, nato per coprire l’infamia di “E la festa cominci”, che lui stesso ha detto di non considerare a pieno titolo un suo libro (poteva dirlo prima che lo compr...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Jessieje rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

« La mosca era riuscita a fregare tutti, perfettamente integrata nella società delle vespe. »

Apparentemente è un romanzo scorrevole, leggero, bello e tutto ciò che può conseguire da un libricino che ti ritrovi improvvisamente sotto il naso.
L'ho regalato a mia madre per Natale e curiosa ho iniziato a sfogliarlo in giro per casa, ripromettendomi di leggerlo.
Bang! E' stato questo il rumore sordo del mio cuore quando ho finito di leggerlo. Poche parole, semplici, ma essenziali. Io e te. E già queste...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Meag McKeron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Per my review at Baltimore Reads

Have you ever just wanted to disappear for a little while? Shut yourself away from the world and have time to yourself, with no other worries or obligations? Sometimes life and everything that comes with it is simply overwhelming, and a day lying in bed reading or watching TV seems like the perfect remedy. For fourteen-year-old Lorenzo Cumi, his escape presents itself in the form of his dark basement, a sanctuary from his outcast status at school. With a stock of...more Per my review at Baltimore Reads

Have you ever just wanted to disappear for a little while? Shut yourself away from the world and have time to yourself, with no other worries or obligations? Sometimes life and everything that comes with it is simply overwhelming, and a day lying in bed reading or watching TV seems like the perfect remedy. For fourteen-year-old Lorenzo Cumi, his escape presents itself in the form of his dark basement, a sanctuary from his outcast status at school. With a stock of canned food, Stephen King novels, and his Playstation, Lorenzo plans to spend a week in utter seclusion – his idea of a great time.

As one would guess, there is more to Niccolo Ammaniti’s Me and You than a boy hanging out in a basement. Lorenzo finds himself in his basement because he lied to his mother about going on a ski trip with friends. When he sees how happy she is that he was invited, he cannot bear to break her heart. The affection and love Lorenzo has for his mother outweighs all others, and to disappoint her would be devastating, so he concocts a plan to camp out in the basement during the duration of the trip. Lorenzo encounters an unexpected visitor during his time down under – his older sister, Olivia. Considering Lorenzo only met Olivia once when he was very young, her appearance comes as a shock and rattles the serenity of the dingy basement. The two long-lost siblings find themselves confronting their own personal issues through their reunion; Lorenzo struggles with his inability to accept and identify with others, and Olivia faces the demons she is tied to through her dangerous lifestyle.

Me and You was originally published in Italy in 2010 and was a bestseller, prompting it’s release in the United States this February. The novel certainly lives up to the bestseller hype. One thing I really enjoyed was the simplicity of the story. It was an extremely quick read – I finished it in under a day – but was by no means underdeveloped or rushed. When you consider that almost the entire novel takes place in the same room, it’s only natural that the plot is very character-driven.

Ammaniti approaches the story from the point of view of Lorenzo, a teenager struggling with acceptance at school due to a personality disorder that makes it difficult to connect with others. But Lorenzo doesn’t come across as self-centered; his issues are evident, and it is easy to sympathize with him. The whole reason he lied about being invited to a ski trip was because he secretly wished he had been. Anyone who has experienced similar rejection cannot help but feel sorry for the boy, especially since his disorder makes it difficult for him to understand why he even cares. Olivia’s arrival brings out a whole new side of him; their connection speaks of the powerful bond between siblings and was very beautifully written by Ammaniti. Olivia is a damaged and lost woman, and yet Lorenzo embraces her like he rarely does anyone else.

Me and You culminates in a scene that is both heartbreaking and believable – a wonderful combination for a novel. The story of Lorenzo and Olivia’s relationship isn’t one of rainbows and smiles – it is real, and it is sad, and yet the moment they share in the cobwebbed basement is enough to make it beautiful.

For anyone looking for a quick read that is still full of depth and emotion, Me and You would be a great book to pick up. Ammaniti has won awards and recognition in the past for his writing (I’m Not Scared; As God Commands) and this book doesn’t disappoint.(less)

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Feb 14, 2012 Lila rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: european-fiction, favorites, kindle, own-it, read-in-2012, translated-work

I seem to be on some kind of a European fiction binge right now and I'm quite enjoying it. Just as I did enjoy Me and You. I have to say I'm perplexed as to why it's getting a low rating in Goodreads. Maybe it's just the kind of fiction that doesn't appeal to everyone but when it does get your attention, it possesses it fully.

The main character, Lorenzo, is an introvert through and through and, being one myself, I identified with many feelings and thoughts of his, and most importantly didn't fin...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Lakis Fourouklas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of those books that somehow manage, in an almost magical way, to steal a reader’s heart; and that not so much because of their myth, but because of the prose; a prose that sounds tender, almost nostalgic, and which every now and then seems to converse with the silence and the psyches.
This is the story of Lorenzo, a fourteen year old boy that doesn’t seem to do well in the world he lives in, but who also tries hard not to show it. And that, because of his mother, whom he deeply loves...more This is one of those books that somehow manage, in an almost magical way, to steal a reader’s heart; and that not so much because of their myth, but because of the prose; a prose that sounds tender, almost nostalgic, and which every now and then seems to converse with the silence and the psyches.
This is the story of Lorenzo, a fourteen year old boy that doesn’t seem to do well in the world he lives in, but who also tries hard not to show it. And that, because of his mother, whom he deeply loves, and whose aura for some reason reminds him of Morocco.
“Life is sad without a sense of humor,” the author says, and that’s exactly the element that’s missing from the boy’s life. Whatever he does he can never feel glad, not even a little bit happy. Apart from his mom the only other person he seems to get on well with is himself.
His parents cannot really understand him and feel sorry for him, and that’s why he decides to take a trip to the mountains with some of the popular kids in his class. But of course that trip will never come to be, because he just made it up. His plan is simple: while his parents will feel happy thinking that he’s at last at some faraway place and having fun with some other people, he’ll be hiding in a long forgotten storeroom in the basement of their building.
At the beginning everything goes according to plan: He stocks his humble abode with all the supplies he’ll need for his week-long stay and then spends some quality time with himself, playing video games, watching TV and thinking deeply about his life; “Why did I have to be just like the others?” “On my own I was happy, with the others I always had to pretend.”
Now, hidden as he is in his beloved basement and isolated from the whole world, yes, he does feel a little bit happy. Life, however, is not about to leave him in peace for long. So, in comes Olivia, his half-sister who has serious drug abuse issues, and who from one moment to the next smashes his fragile, but seemingly secure, world to pieces. Thus the free man becomes the slave; a slave to her needs; her personal slave. Someone has to help her fulfill those needs, and if not Lorenzo, then who?
Ammaniti seems to closely observe and analyze the dynamics that develop between these two young souls; dynamics that somehow seem to presage a complete catastrophe. As it seems the one simply cannot stand the other. However, like it or not, they need each other, because if their secrets come to light they both have a lot to lose. So they form an alliance, one that will help them survive their troubles, make them realize some things, and give them the chance to see their selves as they truly are. The fall for the two of them doesn’t seem to be far, but neither is the recovery. Just as Olivia writes to her father: “I have to learn not to hate you,” Lorenzo needs to learn how not to hate living with the other people.
A well-written novella that can easily be read in a single sitting, and which has a lot to say to the observant reader. Highly recommended.
(less)

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Aug 11, 2012 Sunflower rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, fiction-read-2012

This book feels like a long short story and is easily read in one sitting. In it the 14 year old boy (who has such difficulties with human relationships that you fear for him as an adult)gets to know his junkie half-sister, and the shared secrets between them bring them closer. And during this time he begins to show some connection with her. The books probably ends in the only way that it could, in spite of the ray of hope at their parting.
Raised a few questions: why did he choose to hide so cl...more

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