Qui c’è tutto il mondo
(The whole world is here) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
In 1984, in the coldest winter in a hundred years, Anita’s mother starts to do strange things: she wears odd shoes, dances alone in the street and changes her mood suddenly. In the meantime, Anita tries to adapt to her new life in the small town where her family has just moved from the south of Italy. Here, she fights her mother’s eccentricities with two very different allies: Tina, a tomboy like her, with whom Anita plays football and pees while standing up, and Elena, who provides her with holy water from Lourdes. Until one day they decide to escape from the world of adults that they cannot understand. A story of friendship and emotions that do not have a name yet. [Publisher’s website]
Edited by: Centro MeTRa - Università di Bologna (Italy)
Comment:
“A story about the fears, enthusiasms, and challenges of growing up experienced by three girlsin a particular moment of their lives. A story which delicately explores several major issues, from the desire to be accepted to the importance of not betraying oneself, from gender issues to the relationship with parents, from the resistance to conformism to mental illness. A story set in a small and claustrophobic microcosm of the province of northern Italy where there seems to be no room for authenticity.” [Rai Cultura]
From the very beginning, Anita questions gender stereotypes and representations. Anita is “different” from the other girls, not only in her appearance and interests that make her a tomboy (she has short hair and likes football), but above all in her desires and desire to be free to do whatever she wants and to choose, just like her younger brother. She finds the social conventions imposed by adults profoundly unfair: why does she have to wear skirts and dresses? Why can’t she wear comfortable shoes? Why can’t she play the same games as her brother? Cristina Alicata’s writing and Filippo Paris’ illustrations tell the story of a girl in search of herself and even more of her place in the world. Anita questions socially-imposed rules and labels and slowly gains new awareness. Without this being the main focus of the graphic novel, in her growth process, Anita inevitably has to face questions about her sexuality and sexual orientation. Questions that are left unanswered in the story but which invite the reader to think about them and question with her. The lives of Anita, Tina and Elena focus on another important theme, that of generational confrontation and family relationships, which often become contrasts and clashes in the three very different families presented. But the growth path of Anita and her friends is triggered precisely by family difficulties. The growing journey of Anita and her friends is triggered by family troubles, another key issue central to the story. Anita, Tina, and Elena, in their very different families, experience the generation gap and relationships with their parents that often turn into conflicts. Through the story of Anita’s mother, who begins to behave strangely, the book also deals with a topic often considered taboo, i.e., mental illness. It emerges slowly, first filtered through the child’s point of view, and then through her mother’s. Not everything has a name in this story and not everything is explained, just as it is when you grow up and are faced with a boundless world full of possibilities. And the open ending that leaves room for an unknown future reminds us of that, although some reader may find it a too hasty conclusion.