Het zwart en het zilver

by Paolo Giordano, Mieke Geuzebroek (Translator), Pietha de Voogd (Translator)

Als Nora tijdens de laatste maanden van haar zwangerschap door medische complicaties aan bed gekluisterd raakt, nemen zij en haar man Signora A. in dienst om Nora te verzorgen en hen te helpen met het huishouden. Na de geboorte van hun zoontje blijft Signora A. als kinderjuf voor hen werken, maar ze is veel meer dan alleen een oppas of huishoudster. Ze vangt al hun onzekerheden op en wordt de bewaakster van hun relatie, het kompas dat het paar door windstilten en stormen loodst.
Als Signora A. hun plotseling door een ziekte wordt afgenomen, vallen ze in een diep gat. 'Zij was de enige echte getuige geweest van de onderneming die we dag na dag volbrachten, de enige getuige van de band die er tussen ons was. Zonder haar blik voelden we ons in gevaar.' Maar Nora en haar man moeten nog ontdekken dat zij inmiddels net zo sterk zijn geworden als Signora A.

In Het zwart en het zilver registreert Paolo Giordano op gevoelige wijze de schokken in het dagelijks leven van een jong gezin, de blijdschap en het verdriet, het onvermogen en het verlangen. Het is na De eenzaamheid van de priemgetallen en Het menselijk lichaam wederom een prachtig geschreven roman over liefde, verlies en eenzaamheid.

Genres: Fiction, Italian Literature, Italy, Contemporary, Family, Literature, Drama

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Paolo Giordano is a professional physicist and is currently working on a doctorate in particle physics. The Solitude of Prime Numbers, his first novel, took Italy by storm where it has sold over a million copies. It is being translated into twenty languages and has sold all over the world.

Reviews

[Jim Fonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani, although without the tragic, violent ending. In both novels, a woman who is a nanny, maid and cook is wonderful in every way. The nanny makes herself indispensable to a busy two-career young couple. And because the nanny herself has no children or close family connections her employers’ child and their way of life becomes indispensable to her life.

The nanny in Like Family is a 68-year old widow. The husband and wife have contrasting personalities: she an artist and he’s a physicist and the author plays with the stereotypes that go along with those careers. The story, set in Italy, is told by the husband.



We learn at the beginning of the story that the nanny will become seriously ill (cancer) and have to give up her role. Much of the story focuses on the impact of that loss to the husband, wife and child. Coincidentally or not, when the nanny has to quit her position their marriage starts to sour and the narrator, the husband, uses cancer as a metaphor for the possible disintegration of their relationship. “In the long run, every love needs someone to witness and acknowledge it, to validate it, or it may turn out to be just a mirage. Without her gaze [the nanny] we felt at risk.”

As the nanny’s disease progresses, their roles switch and the couple visits her frequently. The novel talks about the nanny’s impact on the child but the wife is particularly impacted when the nanny becomes ill because she was bedridden for much of her pregnancy and for months, the nanny was essentially her nurse and constant companion.

There is good writing:

“Among the countless things I’ve learned about my wife in ten years of marriage is her habit of isolating herself in times of grief. She suddenly becomes unreachable and won’t allow anyone to console her, forcing me to remain a useless spectator to her suffering – a rejection that I sometimes interpreted as a lack of generosity.”

[the Nanny] “…always described them [her cousins] as envious and spiteful and kept away from them even though she was alone, but the cancer seems to have weakened her immune system against her family as well, defenses that she’d spent half a lifetime building up.”



It’s a short book and a quick read, essentially a novella. I also enjoyed and reviewed another book by this author (b. 1982), The Solitude of Prime Numbers. That book won Italy’s highest literary honor, the Strega Prize, in 2008.

Top photo Italian street scene from i.etsystatic.com
The author from hayfestival.com

[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's only right to be extra strict upon these tight little novellas that must, above all, pack a significant wallop in such a small, tidy package. If not... why do they EVEN exist, am I right?

& I tried to resist the smallness & frailness of this one. This... novelette. But it brought about stuff that had been stuck in the undertow of feeling, it made me truly meditate on the life and death of loved ones and the toll it takes on a single person. It's very personal (again, the protagonist is a wealthy member of society that can see stuff at an elevated plane, but can describe feelings beautifully) & it's very small (a woeful tale of death, cancer), yet it will make you THINK. It hits the correct points to activate a feeling of a nostalgia which comes perilously close to tears.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 They called her Mrs. A or Babette, never her real first name. She came into their lives when she was really needed, a widow that took care of his wife when she was confined to bed rest with their first child. She stayed and became nanny, cook, confidante and managed their lives with supreme efficiency. After eight years she came down with a serious illness and could no longer work.

A quiet, simple novel about a woman who becomes indispensable in the lives of this family. a woman who became a friend, part of the family to the extent that she left a gaping hole in their lives, when she was no longer there. Not only did their son miss her terribly, but their lives no longer went as smoothly, not even their marriage.

What was unusual was that this was narrated by the husband who is a physicist, a man of science. It is told in a rather dispassionate manner, as if the husband is dissecting not only Mrs. A's effect on their loves but her personal life with the husband who had died many years preciously. It also made me think how often people are identified by the illnesses they have. Also the many different people that can make up a family.I loved the ending of this novel, simple but effective.

Arc from publisher.

[Maziyar Yf · Rating 3 out of 5]

تنهایی را شاید بتوان موضوع اصلی کتاب سایه ی سنگین خانم الف نوشته پائولو جوردانو نویسنده ایتالیایی دانست ، او در این کتاب کوتاه داستان زوجی ایتالیایی را بیان کرده که با وجود زندگی مشترک و داشتن یک فرزند ، گویی همواره تنها هستند ، خانم الف گرچه فاصله میان آنها را پر کرده اما آن هم گذرا و موقتی ایست . پس از خانم الف ، آنها دوباره تنها می شوند گرچه که سایه خانم الف بر زندگی آنها سنگینی می کند .
نام اصلی کتاب در زبان ایتالیایی سیاه و نقره ای بوده و در ترجمه به انگلیسی به مانند یک خانواده تبدیل شده و نشر برج عنوان سایه ی سنگین خانم الف را انتخاب کرده است . داستان کوتاه جوردانو گرچه روان وخواندنی ایست اما نباید آنرا به عنوان کتابی عمیق و اثر گذار در نظر گرفت .

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Of the three of us, Emmanuel is the only one who has not yet learned that nothing
lasts forever when it comes to human relationships".

Mrs. A had been working for a young couple and their only child, for eight years, when one day she calls and quits -says she is exhausted.

Emmanuel, their son, doesn't understand. He wants to know when his 'Babette' is coming back. Nora and her physicist husband ( the nameless narrator), are also coming unplugged - worried - anxious-flustered -- they call Mrs. A trying to get her back. Mrs. A held their family together - she was the person who 'encouraged' everyone. She not only cooked grand fancy delicious meals, cleaned, and was a nanny to Emmanuel, she represented strength, security, and context for the entire family's daily living.
"Every love needs someone to witness and acknowledge it, validate it, or it may turn out to be just a mirage. Without her gaze we felt at risk." Mrs. A was 'that' person -a temporary gift.

Mrs. A said she could no longer work for this family because she was tired - but the real reason is that she had terminal cancer.
At the beginning of this novella - we learn Mrs. A has died. The storytelling is looking back --- but what especially moved me to almost tears - ( each time I read it) - is what the author wrote in the beginning---before he started his story:
"There really was a Mrs. A in my life. She stayed in my house, shared life with my family for a few years, then had to leave us".
I, too, had a Mrs. A for a few years - after my father died ( her name was Carol --Carol who took me on a trip once - just she and I to visit her family in Oregon).
I understand - in real life -- the author's father died when he was a child also.
I had been wanting to read this book since I first learned about it almost 2 years ago - when I was declined the opportunity to read an 'advance' copy. I finally bought the book for myself. It's lovely ....and sad.

Deeper beneath the seams - problems were not getting addressed. Mrs. A's defection was soon visible not only in the household but in the couple's relationship.
"Outwardly our married life went along unchanged, structure around a sequence of commitments, yet as if it's heart had been drained. I had seen Nora sad, upset, angry,
but never listless or indifferent. Without the intercession of her exuberance, the world went back to being the cold shell that I had inhabited before I met her. Even Emmanuel, at times, appeared alien to me".

The writing is lyrical-- so lovely --sad --yet a beautiful tribute to Mrs. A. Her name was Anna.

[Mohadese · Rating 3 out of 5]

نمی‌دونم.

_______
بعدن نوشت:
سایه سنگین خانم الف کتاب کوتاهیه که میشه تو یک نشست خوند. (احتمالا اگه کرونا نبود تو دسته کتابایی قرار می‌گرفت که در مسیر دانشگاه تا خانه خوانده‌ام.)
انقدر کتاب کوتاهیه که تقریبا نمی‌دونم چی باید در موردش بگم. :))
این کتاب در مورد خانم الف هست، زنی که به قصد پرستاری از نوزاد زوج جوانی وارد زندگی‌شون میشه و به نظرم پاسدار و پرستار زندگی این زوج میشه.
کتاب با مرگ شروع میشه، پس اگه بگم با مرگ خانم الف شیرازه این زندگی از هم پاشیده میشه اسپویل نکردم (البته پشت جلد کتابم نوشته شاید کمی اسپویل باشه الان که فکر می‌کنم.)
کتاب روایتی‌ست از زندگی این زوج و آشنایی‌شون با خانم الف، منش و رفتار این خانم و بعد مرگش.

خوندن این کتاب دقیقا مثل این می‌مونه که بشینی کنار یه آدم (تو اتوبوس یا تاکسی) و زندگی‌شو واست تعریف کنه،
و وقتی پیاده میشی (کتاب تموم میشه) شاید مثل من از خودت بپرسی:
"چه کسی توی زندگی‌م اونقدر برام مهمه که اگه نباشه شیرازه زندگی‌م از هم می‌پاشه؟"

[Arghavan-紫荆 · Rating 5 out of 5]

همینطوری توی کتابفروشی میچرخیدم که این کتاب به چشمم خورد، برِش داشتم، چند صفحه‌ای ورق زدم و... جذبش شدم! من معمولا اینطوری کتاب انتخاب نمیکنم و هر کتابی که میخوام بخونمو باید اول حداقل ده-پونزده مرتبه کائنات سر راهم گذاشته باشن، ولی همون بیست صفحه‌ی اول این کتابو که خوندم نمیتونستم دیگه ادامه ندم.
خیلی وقت بود که اینطور داستانی نخونده بودم، داستانی که توی حجم کم، اینهمه غصه‌ی لطیف و صادقانه گنجونده باشه؛ شخصیت های بسیار قابل لمس که ترسها و روزمرگی‌هاشون مثل یه بوی آشنا خاطرات عمیقی رو جلوی چشمامون میاره.. رابطه‌ای که آهسته سرد میشه و چنگ زدن بهش فایده‌ای نداره ، اشیای قدیمی که بار عاطفی زیادی دارن و این حقیقت که بعد از مرگ ما دیگه هیچ معنایی برای کسی ندارن، از دست‌دادن روتین هموار زندگی و ناتوانی برای برگردوندن آرامش سابق و .. چیزهای حقیقی و تلخ دیگه.
ترجمه خیلی دلنشین و روان بود ، نمیدونم متن اصلی هم اینطوریه یا نه ، ولی توی متن ترجمه شده آوای کلمات انگار به سکوت داستان عمق بیشتری میدادن.
_________________

[Gabril · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romanzo breve e serrato che rappresenta una prova più matura di Paolo Giordano, rispetto a La solitudine dei numeri primi.

Sempre di solitudine si tratta, quella dei due componenti di una giovane coppia: lui, voce narrante, rappresenta il nero, vischioso e insinuante come un’onda di angoscia che sale. Lei: l’argento fuso, “il migliore dei conduttori, il riflettente più spietato“. Sono mondi vicini e paralleli, apparentemente comunicanti, drammaticamente insolubili.
Ma non sono i loro problemi di coppia a costituire la materia narrativa. È la progressiva inesorabile scomparsa della signora A., collaboratrice domestica, balia del loro bambino, amica sapiente e testimone silenziosa e necessaria della loro unione. Un cancro se la sta portando via.
Come un filo che a poco a poco si allenta, si sfilaccia e infine si spezza, la resistenza di A. si consuma e il dolore del protagonista, quello di sua moglie Nora e del piccolo Emanuele è la concentrazione di tutto il dolore immaginabile: quello provato davanti alla perdita degli affetti più cari, dei legami e dei testimoni e in ultima istanza della vita stessa, ma anche della possibilità che un legame intimo sia durevole, che l’amore sia possibile.

Intenso e malinconico.

[Metodi Markov · Rating 1 out of 5]

Не знам, защо му е било на Джордано да пише тази история, но знам че аз нямам желание да я дочета.

Бившата прислужница на италианско семейство умира от рак и това ги поразява така лошо, че те трябва да си направят равносметка - как са я карали до сега и на къде са се запътили. За никой от тях не ми пука въобще…

Скука!

Цитат:

"Виждаме твърде много от безкрайната последователност от грешки, плъзнали по света между индивиди, събития и поколения, но това, че ги виждаме, не означава, че знаем как да се справим с тях."

[Rana Heshmati · Rating 5 out of 5]

سایه سنگین خانم الف از بهترین کتاب‌هایی بود که به تازگی خوندم. لطیف، آهسته و غمگین.
نکته‌هایی ریز از روابط آدم‌ها با هم، از زندگی و مرگ.
موشکافانه زندگی یک خانواده سه نفره رو روایت می‌کنه. خانواده‌ای که ستونش خانم بابته، خدمتکارشون. کسی که ازشون مراقبت می‌کنه، در کارهای خونه کمکشون می‌کنه، و چشمیه که زندگیشون رو سر پا نگه می‌داره. همونطور که خود راوی (که اسمش رو نمی‌دونیم) می‌گه: «هر عشقی، در درازمدت، نیازمند کسی است که ببیندش و تصدیقش کند و بر آن صحه بگذارد، اگر نه ممکن است اصلا عشق نباشد. بدون نگاه او ما در خطر بودیم.»
‌
در قلبم جای گرفت. 💛

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get the impression that both books I've read by Paolo Giordano are deeply linked to the author's actual life. The Solitude of Prime Numbers has two characters that bond because of their love for math, and in this novel the husband/father central character is a physicist, just as the author is. I think that made this novel feel quite small, as if maybe it was too close to home, and couldn't be extended easily beyond that world.

At the same time, small can really work, and I would encourage anyone who starts this to push past the first third. A novel that seems like the story of a family's housekeeper and nanny becomes more about family, and relationships, and the small things that make or break them. The thread of cancer was particularly close to my own family's experience and I found the whole book to be touching. Not as good as the previous one, but worth a quick read. I also find the writing (and perhaps the translation) to be quite beautiful, and if it were not a review copy I would give you a few examples. A few paraphrases - falling in love akin to being flushed out, a child described as an "extraordinary seismograph," and the parallel between cancer and what happens in relationships when a married couple starts to grow apart.

This book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Matthieu Wegh · Rating 4 out of 5]

? Dit boek was een tip van de bieb. Ik had niet eerder iets gedaan met de andere tips van de bieb, dus nu dus wel.
🤔 De roman bleef boeiend omdat de beschrijving van wat de ouderwetse huishoudster deed en zei in het gezin, dat ze diende, zo mooi beschreven was dat je als lezer kon voelen hoe zij het gezin completeerde en hoe onmisbaar ze zichzelf daarmee maakte.
=> Misschien nog eens de De eenzaamheid van de priemgetallen van deze schrijver lezen...
MW 14/8/20

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars: Paolo Giordano is a fabulous writer. In this, very short novel, he captures a young family struggling to function. Giordano’s gift is illuminating character’s feelings: their unsaid thoughts.

At the opening of the story, the reader learns that Mrs. A, the housekeeper/nanny dies of cancer. The narrator (husband) reminisces the family’s life with Mrs. A. In a short (146 pages) story, we learn of the significant role Mrs. A plays in the marriage. Anyone who is married will see themselves in the complexities that ALL marriages go through. What makes the novel wonderful is how realistic the marriage and husband and wife are.

Mrs. A is hired by the young couple due to pregnancy problems the wife, Nora, is experiencing. Nora needs to be bedridden early in her pregnancy. The marriage is still forming when Mrs. A is hired. There are marital issues still needing definitions and resolutions. In this, Mrs. A becomes part of the mortar of the marriage, and continues as the child’s nanny.

The book cover claims the novel is “Elegiac, heartrending, and deeply personal, this is a jewel of a novel—short, intense, and unforgettable.” I cannot reiterate that any better. I highly recommend this novel. All characters are realistic, human, and flawed. It’s a true portrait of a young marriage.

[Marta Xambre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gostei muito, muito...
Quando um livro nos permite sentir e reviver o que está guardado no nosso coração e na nossa memória, é de facto tocante e inesquecível.
A Senhora A desta história, fez -me lembrar com muito carinho e saudade a minha senhora R.
Foi uma viagem muito sensitiva e muito emocionante. Tão real, tão pura de sentimentos e tão carregada de amor.
Há pessoas que, de uma forma única e especial, marcam as nossas vidas para sempre, assim como a senhora A marcou a vida da família desta história.
Uma história que aborda a doença, a importância das relações humanas, a perda e o amor. Uma narrativa tão transparente e real, e ao mesmo tempo repleta de simbolismo.

[Fatemeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

اشکم در اومد. کتاب کوتاهی بود که باعث شد حس کنم به خانم الف نزدیکم و انگار مادربزرگمه.

[Connie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Every love needs someone to witness and acknowledge it, to validate it, or it may turn out to be just a mirage."

Mrs A is a widow who was hired to help cook and clean during Nora's difficult pregnancy. When the son of Nora and the narrator is born, the indispensable Mrs A is asked to stay on to also care for the baby. Everything seems to run smoother for this two-career couple when Mrs A is around. They think of her as part of the family and an honorary grandmother. The nickname Babette, from the Karen Blixen story, is bestowed on their wonderful cook/housekeeper/nanny.

After eight years, Mrs A quits because she's exhausted - and it's soon known that she has cancer. There is a parallel between the deterioration of the nanny as the cancer advances, and a slow unraveling of the couple's relationship without her encouragement and positive influence. A huge void is left in their lives. This is a lovely novella about relationships, communication, and the importance of people who are more closely bonded to us than real family.

[Marta Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
Não sei bem o que escrever sobre este livro…

Com uma escrita harmoniosa e sensível, o autor dá vida aos protagonistas desta história, a narrativa é tão envolvente ao ponto de a acharmos real.
É um livro que nos fala de relações humanas, amor, apego, dedicação e perda, e, acima de tudo deixa-nos uma mensagem, a qual encontrei nas palavras de Clarice Lispector: “ A felicidade aparece para aqueles que reconhecem a importância das pessoas que passam em nossa vida.”
Recomendo!

[Nicko D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Много хубав роман, или по-скоро повест. Книгата засяга отношението ни към хората, на които даваме работа и към тези, които се грижат за нас. Как може да почувстваш някой като кръвен роднина, една бавачка, една детегледачка. Преди години бях започнал и оставил до средата "Самотата на простите числа", на същия автор. Тази книга ми хареса много, даже ми се стори прекалено кратка - едва 140 страници. Очевидно Паоло с годините става все по-добър.

[Mohaaaamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

"هر عشقی، در دراز‌مدت، نیازمند کسی است که ببیندش و تصدیقش کند و بر آن صحه بگذارد، اگر نه ممکن است اصلا عشق نباشد."



همه‌ی داستان همین است.
خانم الفی که جز در آخرین واژه‌ی کتاب اسمِ کامل‌اش آورده نمی‌شود و در خطاب شدن‌اش به همین"خانم الف" بسنده می‌شود، و مانند چسبی تک‌تکِ اعضای یک خانواده‌ی سه نفره را به هم می‌چسباند؛ نه چسباندنی
فیزیکی که اتصالی عاطفی. طوری که: "بدون نگاه او(مقصود خانم الف) ما در خطر بودیم."
زنی که جلوه‌ی واقعیِ شاهدِ عشق و ازدواج است و نه شکلِ نمادین و فرمالیته‌ی آن و تنها به شکل امضایی پایِ برگه.

ماجرا را پدرِ جوانِ خانواده برای‌مان تعریف می‌کند. محقق و استاد دانشگاهی که آینده‌ی شغلی‌اش را همچون کلکی سرگردان در دریا می‌بیند.
راوی‌ای که طرز روایت‌اش منسجم نیست. پرش دارد؛ پرش بین سال‌های مختلف. و یک نکته‌ی جالب توجهِ دیگر: راویِ اول شخصی که گاها به اندازه‌ی روایت‌گری سوم شخص آگاهی دارد! در طی داستان بعضا موقعیت‌هایی را که در آن حضور نداشته چنان دقیق و با جزئیات تعریف می‌کند که یادمان می‌رود راوی دانای کل نیست. البته گاهی هم نسبت به آن‌ها کاملا بی‌اطلاع است.

اما بپردازیم به خانم الف و سایه‌اش؛ سایه‌ای که مانند رنگ‌های آبرنگ درهم می‌آمیزد با سایه‌ی نقره‌ای سیاهِ این زوج.
زنی سالخورده که به واسطه‌ی بارداریِ پرمشقت و نیازمندِ مراقبتِ نورا، همسرِ راوی، پا‌ به خانه و به بیان بهتر رابطه‌ی آن‌ها می‌گذارد. رابطه‌ای که به خیال‌شان هیچ چیز کم ندارد. در یک ماهی‌فروشیِ پرت‌افتاده هر از چند گاهی غذایی می‌خورند، درباره‌ی کارشان حرف می‌زنند و دست آخر در پایان روز، در اتاق خواب‌شان به آغوش هم می‌روند.
اما آیا همین کافی است؟
خانم الف به اسم مراقبت از نورا می آید و طولی نمی‌کشد که نقش های دیگری هم می‌پذیرد. مثل پرستار کودک. و کم‌کم به جزئی انکار نشدنی و حیاتی از آن خانواده بدل می‌شود:
"در زندگی ما، زندگی من و نورا و امانوئل، که آن دوران انگار هر روز منقلب می‌شد و مثل گیاهی نوپا در دست ویرانگر باد می‌لرزید، او عنصری پابرجا بود، پناهگاهی بود؛ درختی کهن‌سال با تنه‌ای چنان تنومند که به زحمت سه دست به دورش حلقه می‌شد."

او نزدیک به هشت سال در آن خانه‌ کار می‌کند و روزی به طرز ناگهانی با یک تماس قطع همکاری می‌کند! در عذرش هم فقط به این اکتفا می‌کند: "خسته‌ام"
اما قضیه چیز دیگری است و راوی سعی می‌کند در ادامه و تا آخر کتاب به همین بپردازد.
او حالا و پس از آنکه" خانم الف، در روز تولد سی وپنج سالگی‌ام، ناگهان از سرسختی‌ای که در چشم من بارزترین خصیصه‌اش بود دست کشید. آرمیده روی تختی که دیگر برای پیکرش فراخ بود، سرانجام جهان آشنای ما را ترک کرد."(نگران نباشید اسپویل نیست، اولین پاراگرافی که چشمتان به‌اش می‌افتد همین است!)، به جانِ خاطرات می‌افتد. خاطراتی با محوریتِ عشق، مرگ و زندگی.

خریدنِ این کتاب کاملا بی‌برنامه و اتفاقی بود. برای نمایشگاهِ مجازیِ کتابِ امسال بن داشتم و می‌خواستم تا قرون آخر از بن را استفاده کنم. هر چه کردم یا از مبلغ تعیین شده بالاتر می‌زد و این یعنی آن مبلغ اضافه دیگه شامل حال بن نمی‌شد و باید صرفا به همان ده درصد تخفیف بسنده می‌کردم و از جیب مبارک می‌دادم که خب چندان عقلانی نبود، و یا پایین تر از آن مبلغ می‌شد و به‌طبع حیف می‌شد!
این شد که تصمیم گرفتم دنبال کتابی تا سقف سی چهل هزار تومن بگردم. و حقیقتا گشتن دنبال کتابی با این قیمت که ارزش خواندن هم داشته باشد در زمره‌ی کار‌های سخت است!
با هر ضرب و زوری بود به این کتاب برخوردم و
گذاشتم‌اش توی سبد خرید. و هر چند کتابی نیست که اگر نخوانیم‌اش زندگی بر باد داده‌ایم! اما بنظرم به خواندن‌اش می‌ارزد. کتابِ دوست‌داشتنی‌ای است.


"-برای چه چیز او بیشتر از همه دلت تنگ می‌شود؟
نورا نیازی به تعمق نداشت، برایش روشن بود.
-برای آن روشی که با آن به ما جسارت می‌داد. آدم‌ها در جسارت‌دادن به یکدیگر بخیل‌اند. فقط می‌خواهند به خود بقبولانند که تو از آن‌ها کمتری."


و در آخر اینکه " فرق چندانی بین مرگ آدم‌ها با هم وجود ندارد. همه با کم‌آمدن نفس می‌میرند."؟

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paolo Giordano – a 32-year-old Italian physicist – creates portraits of wounded individuals who yearn to bond through companionship yet often find solitude more comforting. I was haunted by them and eager to read his third book, Like Family. I was not disappointed.

When read quickly – and at 146 pages, it can easily be read in one sitting – Like Family at first appears like any other cancer story. A young couple – an unnamed narrator, a physicist who may or may not be partially based on the author himself, and his wife Nora hire a widowed housekeeper, referred to only as Mrs. A. Gradually, her importance in the household increases as she takes over the role as nanny to their son Emanuele, who is not extraordinary enough for his father.

Mrs. A, though, has cancer. As her cancer progresses in its inevitable and programmed way, it also becomes a metaphor for the couple’s own lives (“A young couple can also fall ill, from insecurity, from routine, from isolation.”) In losing her – a woman who is like family – they also begin to lose themselves.

It’s a simple story, really, and one that has been created before. But Paolo Giordano raises this question: All these cancer stories are the same, yes, but does that mean that all lives aren’t unique, deserving of their own story? Can one person become a shield for a young family that’s “a nebula of self-centeredness in danger of imploding” and if so, what happens when that person removes herself from the equation? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to love somebody?

As in his other books, Paolo Giordano writes profoundly and elegantly, capturing the pathos of life in a few well-chosen words. His genius comes from his ability to mine the interior thoughts of characters who – by choice or compulsion – cannot break through to nurture themselves or each other. In many important ways, Like Family is a meditation on life, death and most of all, love.

[Fahime · Rating 5 out of 5]

بعضی آدم‌ها هستند که وجودشان همه‌چیز را سر و سامان می‌دهد و با رفتنشان بعضی چیزها از هم می‌پاشد...
از آن کتاب‌هاست که تا مدت‌ها دست از سرم برنمی‌دارد.

[payam Mohammadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

این داستان تا حدودی منو یاد داستان "مرگی بسیار آرام" سیمون دوبووار انداخت.
ما آدم‌ها اکثر اوقات از تاثیری که افراد بر ما می‌ذارن و متقابلا تاثیری که بر افراد می‌ذاریم غافل می‌شیم و زمانی بر چگونگی این تاثیرات بر خود آگاه می‌شیم که اون افراد از دایره زندگی ما خارج می‌شن.
در مجموع داستان خوبی بود و ارزش یک بار خوندن داره.

[Daniela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Замислям се, че вероятно съвсем скоро някой физик, математик или в краен случай инженер ще направи много систематична, прецизна и обоснована класификация на чувствата, които са способни и изпитват хората. Често, именно в книги на този тип хора на науката, можеш да откриеш прекрасното обяснение на поведението, характерите и отношенията. Тази книга е именно това. Статична, но топла и човечна, без да е твърде сантиментална и сълзлива. Стилът също е прецизен и премерен - нищо излишно, нищо пропуснато, и въпреки това оставя поле за размисъл. Преди време зарязах "Самотата на простите числа", но след тази малка книжка, ще я пробвам отново.

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally felt like the narrator didn't care at all about the events he was relating and that he was an entirely unsympathetic person which in turn it made it hard to care about what he had to say even though it should have hit close to home for me (having lost a parent and several family members to cancer I'm pretty frigging sensitive to stories dealing with it). Points for coming across as pretty honest though.

[Antonella Imperiali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paolo Giordano, con la sua semplicità, ha colpito ancora. E ha colpito al cuore, quel cuore in cui vengono conservati i più cari ricordi. Mi ha ricostruito intorno e dentro il senso e il peso della perdita e della mancanza, identificata in questo caso con la fisicità invadente e affettuosa della signora A., o più semplicemente Babette, che il male si è portata via in poco tempo.
Chi di noi non ha vissuto esperienze simili? Quanti di noi si riconoscono in questi momenti? Quanti di noi, con perdite simili, hanno perso i propri punti di riferimento e le proprie sicurezze?

Lei apparteneva a quella specie di arbusti che insinuano le radici nelle fessure dei muri, lungo gli spigoli dei marciapiedi, quelle specie di rampicanti cui è sufficiente un anfratto di pochi centimetri al quale aggrapparsi per ricoprire la facciata di un palazzo.

Bello. Straziante, doloroso quanto e più di un pugno nello stomaco, ma bello!
Non ho dovuto spremere neppure una lacrima... sono scese giù da sole...
Ora ho un cuore piccolo piccolo... 💔

📖 GdL tema del mese (set. 2018): il colore 🎨🌈

[Maria Yankulova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Не открих нищо от това, което ме зашемети в “Самотата на простите числа” ... просто не е моята история.

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was first introduced to the writing of Palo Giordano when I read 'The Solitude of Prime Numbers'. Though I enjoyed it, I felt it rather cold and disconnected from its emotional core. After reading 'Like Family' I have to think that this is a style or perhaps a thematic element of the author's writing.

'Like Family' is a very short book, almost a novella, that is about a woman who comes into the lives of young couple to help the wife out through a difficult pregnancy. The woman who comes to help is known as Mrs. A. or Babette. Mrs. A. stays on as a nanny for the newborn and then works for the couple for another eight years. One day she calls up and states she is tired and will work for them no longer. It seems she has lung cancer and is dying.

The novel looks at the dissolution of the family without Mrs. A. at its center. I thought of it like an implosion. Without Mrs. A. to guide them, the family loses its way.

The author is trained as a physicist and the narrative has a cold rationality that I found it almost impossible to connect with. It was a text about the book, rather than the book itself. The characters seemed pretentious and while the author is descriptive to some degree, there is no life in any of the protagonists. I believe that others can appreciate this author's work but he is just not for me.
Comment

[Karly Drake · Rating 1 out of 5]

GACK!! Though short, I found it really hard to get through; quite honestly, if this wasn't my book group's book I would have put it down...even though it's only 146 pages! It all seemed a little pretentious. Near the end they were on their way to breaking up...and then suddenly they are happy and thinking of moving. As an aside, I hated the movie, "Babette's Feast" too. There is some beauty in the delicacy with which he writes, the eye on the minutiae of a stranger's life. Whew, it was hard for me to find nice things to say! Very interested to see what my group thought of this. Update Wednesday.

[Arybo ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo libro mi ha colpito il cuore, ha smascherato i miei sentimenti, è riuscito a dare voce ai miei pensieri. Consigliatissimo.

”Sei forte abbastanza”.
E lo credevo davvero. Poi, l’ho vista disintegrarsi così in fretta da non lasciarci neppure l’occasione di un congedo soddisfacente, neppure il tempo di trovare le parole adatte per esprimerle ciò che aveva significato per noi. 💔

[Simona · Rating 4 out of 5]

La storia di Nora e di suo marito racconta di solitudine, di abbandono, di paura, di incertezze, di due esseri che fanno fatica a trovarsi, capirsi e viversi.
Una relazione che si basa sulle incertezze, i dubbi che sono mitigati dalla signora A. che, non è solo tata o collaboratrice domestica, ma molto di più. Diventa custode in silenzio dei loro stessi silenzi, della loro vita, dei loro segreti perché "La signora A. era la sola vera testimone dell'impresa che compivamo giorno dopo giorno, la sola testimone del legame che ci univa. Senza il suo sguardo ci sentivamo in pericolo".
Paolo Giordano traccia tutte le difficoltà di una coppia nel vivere la quotidianità, le paure, i dolori dell'eventuale abbandono, ma anche il coraggio che bisogna avere per affrontare e vivere determinate situazioni e tornare a essere "insolubili l'uno nell'altra".