Zâmbetele nu fac zgomot

Antonia Baldi writes picture books but finds her own life hard. She is divorced and grieves for her mother. She raises her eight-year-old child, Vittoria. Her ex-husband expects a baby with his new partner. Her father has found love again, too. Work, chores and plans for Christmas leave her scant time to think.

Enrica Tesio’s novel blends family drama, love and social satire. It uses wit to look at faults in society. It suits readers who like tales of grief and raising children. The Christmas setting raises questions about haste and being perfect. The book also shows how public anger can punish one mistake.

At a book launch, Antonia tells the children Santa is not real. Monica Pozzi posts a video and urges people to boycott her. The press spreads the news. Antonia loses her events to promote her books. She seeks refuge in her late mother’s country home. There, she thinks back on her childhood and marriage. She also recalls the car crash that killed her brother Andrea. She still talks with him in her mind.

Monica’s ex-husband, the lawyer Riccardo Politi, offers Antonia legal help. They start a love affair, but she later has doubts. Free from public demands, she finds time for Vittoria and writing. She solves the puzzle of letters said to come from Santa. Yet her child’s wish for the Tower of Pisa still tests her. Antonia starts to accept that life need not be perfect.

Tesio comes from Turin. She has three children and a partner. She has worked as a copywriter since she was twenty. She writes poems and novels and made her debut in 2015. Her work has led to films and stage shows. There are also plans for a film of this novel. Roxana Panaite translated the book from Italian for the Corola series.