The Lost Village Quotes

“Bosconero’s homes were hundreds of years old. Nothing like this has happened here before, nothing so powerful as to wipe out the place. You know, there are laws, in Italy, on how houses should be built or strengthened in highly seismic areas. They’re often ignored. As you can see.’ ‘It can’t be!’ ‘This is Italy, Luce. Things are never straightforward, here. And it’s the common people who pay the price, as always. There will be an investigation on why the tower fell, for example, after having been refurbished according to the law. Too late for those who were under it.’ I had no answer to that. I proceeded to translate the whole thing to Ethan, who was as shocked as me. ‘Also, if there were tremors just before… why was there no alarm given?’ Ethan asked. ‘Maybe it was all too quick,’ I replied in English, but I also translated the question for Massimo. ‘Another Italian mystery,’ Massimo replied cryptically.”
― Daniela Sacerdoti, The Lost Village

“The stereotype of Italians said that they were chaotic; the hospital in Bastia said otherwise. There was still a sense of sorrow all around, but greater calm. The reception was staffed again. I asked them if I could see Matilde, and because I was a blood relation I was allowed to do so, with a nurse by my side. The day before I’d been able to walk into the ICU by myself, but only a few hours later the normal protocols had been reinstated. Almost normal, because I still had to zigzag between the beds set up in corridors, to get to Matilde.”
― Daniela Sacerdoti, The Lost Village