Va dove ti porta il cuore

Probably one the most known novels written by the Italian writer Susanna Tamaro, “Va’ dove ti porta il cuore ” is definitely one of the most beloved books by myself. In fact, I have read and reread it so many times that I do not even remember how many but being always overwhelmed by a whirlwind of very strong emotions, as if it were the first time.

The elderly protagonist Olga, returned home after a hospitalization, wants to write a letter to Marta now in America. Their relationship, initially rich in complicity and affection, has deteriorated so much time after time that the girl has moved far. The girl’s grandmother, aware of her precarious health, however, far from wanting to interrupt Marta’s stay in the United States, wants to tell her about her origins before it is too late.

The scrolling of the pages emphasizes the most difficult but also the most intense moments of their life, of the relationships with the family but also of the strong conflict between the narrator and her daughter, Ilaria. A problematic, fragile woman full of resentment towards her parents whom she considers the reason of her failures. At the same time Ilaria is the reflection of the past, of the mistakes but also of the hopes disregarded by the author of this diary.

Marta’s mother can be seen in particular as a symbol of a fragile and intrinsic defeatism whose roots are deep but which do not justify it. However, our attention cannot diverge from a narrative full of truth and pain and whose redemption seems to be represented by that girl temporarily far from home but who is still certainly strongly linked to it.

Maria Domenica Depalo

P.S. While Olga recalls her relationship with little Marta, she remembers  a book read together and that will soon be another of the protagonists of this column: The Little Prince. Have you ever read it before?