Chiara Valerio on The Little I Knew

Chiara Valerio was born in Scauri in 1978 and lives in Rome. She is a novelist, editor, critic, cultural commentator and mathematician and has published essays, novels and short stories. Chiara joins us to celebrate the English language publication of The Little I Knew.

In Scauri, an end of the line seaside town forty miles or so from Rome, Vittoria dies unexpectedly in her bath. Whilst the townsfolk meet the event with sad but respectful southern Italian silence, Lea, the town lawyer, wants to investigate. Who was Vittoria, what were her secrets, why had she mysteriously arrived in Scauri thirty years earlier? And was her relationship with Lea all that it seemed?

In this unforgettable portrait of a small town and the women who live there, reverberations from the past catch up with present. Through the silences, Vittoria's story is revealed and everything - passions, emotions, and relationships - changes forever.

This event is made possible with support from the Italian Cultural Institute.