The Twelfth Room

Alina is a young girl with red hair, green eyes, and extraordinary intelligence. She loves to surgically dissect the world around her and listen to her grandfather Giuseppe's stories. Her atypical childhood is poised between genius and discomfort, skipped life stages, and looming bullying. Until Nicola arrives to break her crystal ball, a love that is as strong as it is socially unacceptable and that will mark the beginning of her real life, forced growth, and precocious blossoming into a strong woman.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 01 November 2023
Publisher: Guernica Editions,Canada

Alina, a young girl with a unique combination of red hair, emerald eyes, and exceptional intelligence, stands out from her peers. At the tender age of two, she possesses remarkable abilities, such as reading and counting with proficiency. Alina's curiosity knows no bounds, and she eagerly dissects the world around her, seeking to understand its intricacies. She finds solace in listening to her grandfather, Giuseppe, as they wander through the charming alleys and rugged coastline of Polignano, sharing stories of their ancestors and the town's history.

However, Alina's childhood is far from ordinary. She exists in a perpetual state of imbalance, oscillating between brilliance and discomfort, skipping crucial life stages and facing the impending threat of bullying. As the youngest member of her family, she is expected to be the epitome of perfection—the best, the strongest, and the most fragile all at once. This unique position creates a sense of alienation, as Alina struggles to find her place in the world. She is a fish out of water, with intellectual and sensory superpowers that often overshadow her emotional well-being. Depression and anorexia lurk in the shadows, threatening to consume her.

Until the arrival of Nicola, a young man who shatters Alina's crystal ball of isolation. Their love is as powerful as it is socially unacceptable, challenging the norms and expectations of their community. Nicola's presence ignites a spark of change in Alina's life, propelling her into a journey of forced growth and precocious blossoming. With his unwavering support, Alina learns to embrace her uniqueness and harness her abilities. She navigates the complexities of relationships, discovering the joys of love and the pain of loss.

The story of Alina and her way of being unfolds across various cities—Polignano, Milan, and Paris—as she experiences a crescendo of emotions that are uniquely felt in each place. However, it all comes full circle when Alina returns to the twelfth room, the place where her journey began. There, she finds solace and closure, realizing that her true home is within herself.

Alina's story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love to transform lives. It reminds us that even in the face of adversity, we can rise above our challenges and discover our true potential. Through her journey, Alina teaches us to embrace our differences, celebrate our strengths, and never be afraid to love unconditionally.

Weight: 198g
Dimension: 128 x 204 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781771839259