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A Story About Childhood Loneliness
Review of “Missing Things” (As Coisas Que Faltam) by Rita da Nova
I write a lot about books from different countries. Today I have a special one for me to share with you. A book from my home country: Portugal.
I have to admit, after 7 years of only reading books in English, it was quite an experience to go back to reading a book in my native language.
But this little one — literally because it’s only 256 pages long — was quite an interesting one. So I had to share it with you.
Disclaimer: This book is not available in English yet so the title and synopses were translated by me. Hope you enjoy it :)
What It’s About
When she was eight years old, Ana Luís asked for the first time to meet her father.
It was very common for her mom to say no to everything — no, she couldn’t go to her friends’ houses after school to study; no, she couldn’t eat ice cream because it was just ice and sugar. Of all the negative answers she was used to getting, however, this was the one that hurt the most.
Ana Luís grows up feeling like she’s missing something and doesn’t belong anywhere. The coexistence with her mother, a cold and dominant woman, imprisons her to a lonely place.
