2024 Int Booker longlist: Lost on Me

[Hugh, Active moderator]

Lost on Me by Veronica Raimo translated by Leah Janeczko (Virago), Italian/Italy

[Rachel]

I read this last fall and not a single moment of it has stuck with me, I was shocked to see it on the longlist. I could feel the impermanance of the book as I was reading it, I suspect due to the lack of any central storyline or narrative, there was just nothing for me to latch onto.

The author writes at the end that a story is an ambiguous concept and that for her “writing is essentially that…I write things that are ambiguous, frustrating.” I agree with her there!

[Rose]

I just finished listening to this one. I'm going to confess: I am not sure how to read autofiction. If this is mainly auto, wowzas! What a crazy, f-d up family, how utterly entertaining, can't believe she survived it all. Impossible to look away from the trainwreck this family was. Kinda David Sedaris on steroids.

If it's mainly fiction . . . .eh? weird, interesting yet mostly unbelievable.

Not the first time I've run into this dilemma . . .

[Roman Clodia]

I see this as in dialogue with Natalia Ginzburg, especially her Family Lexicon - but I've only just started so will say more (or may change my mind!) once I'm done.

[Ruben]

Rose wrote: "What a crazy, f-d up family, how utterly entertaining, can't beli..."

This sounds great!

[Alwynne]

Roman Clodia wrote: "I see this as in dialogue with Natalia Ginzburg, especially her Family Lexicon - but I've only just started so will say more (or may change my mind!) once I'm done."

The description definitely reminded me of Ginzburg's novel, the structure, the family dynamics, the blurring of boundaries between fact and fiction, so I'll look forward to finding out what you thought.

[Paul]

So far this just seems like a comic (I did smile at one point) dysfunctional family novel but perhaps it develops depth.

But again feels a book that just isn't my taste or isn't any more - honestly I think I am too old for this list.

The Family Lexicon comparison is one that others including I think the author has made - but that book had elements of the aftermaths of fascism in it, whereas I'm less seeing the 'so what' here. And the book's Italian publicity page goes for Bridget Jones as a comparison.

[Roman Clodia]

Yes, this doesn't have the overt politics of Family Lexicon's growing up under Mussolini. But it does share concerns such as how family roles are constructive of identity and with language: 'Francesca is on the phone', for example, is a code understood in a specific way by the narrator's friends, a language shortcut that doesn't have the same meaning to outsiders so a bond created by language.

Also the reconstructive nature of memory, especially of family members no longer alive is akin to Ginzburg, as is the fragmentary and iterant nature of the way memories are recalled.

This is very much to my taste, I guess.

[David]

The 5 star review from RC, and 1 star from Paul, have me intrigued.

[Paul]

It may well be very good - but I'm not prepared to give any book on this list a chance if it doesn't immediately grab me given the judges' taste in books.