On Tuesday 5 November (7.30 pm – free admission), Castello Volate in Corigliano d’Otranto will host the launch of Erica Mou’s new book, *Una cosa per la quale mi odierai*, published by Fandango Libri.
The event, organised by the L’Albero delle Parole Association, forms part of the association’s efforts to promote reading in the Salento region, which it has been carrying out since 2012 in collaboration with local organisations, bodies and institutions. Gabriella De Luca, a cultural organiser, will be in conversation with the author, offering a space for discussion that will allow those present to gently explore the touching family story that Erica Mou recounts in her new novel.
Synopsis of the book
When she is just a young woman, at the start of the career she has always dreamed of, Erica is forced by her mother, Lucia, to listen to what she has to say: ‘Something for which you will hate me’. Erica fears it concerns her decision to move in with the man she loves, but the truth is far more painful: Lucia, a maths teacher, reveals that she has cancer. From that day on, everything changes. With an intimate and unpretentious narrative, Erica Mou recounts the nine months of her mother’s illness, weaving the story together with the words Lucia wrote in her diary to cope with her pain and fear. In this diary, which Erica finally finds the courage to read, she discovers her mother’s thoughts and memories, just as she is going through the nine months that will lead her to become a mother herself. In this tender, poignant and at times even ironic exchange of voices, Erica rediscovers and recognises her mother Lucia – the family’s ‘Lusi’ – in a collection of thoughts and promises that form an intimate and powerful portrait of a family and the bond that unites them.
Erica Mou
A singer-songwriter from Puglia, known for her original songwriting, which blends the great Italian singer-songwriter tradition with the pop-folk sounds typical of Northern Europe. In 2012, she took part in the Sanremo Festival in the young artists’ category, winning the Mia Martini Critics’ Award and the Radio and TV Press Award. Her career has also extended into the world of cinema, where she was nominated for a David di Donatello Award for Best Original Song in 2014. She is currently on tour with the theatre show *Un’ultima cosa*, alongside Concita De Gregorio; just a few days before the publication of her second novel for Fandango Libri, *Una cosa per la quale mi odierai*, Erica Mou has released *Madre*, a track that also serves as the soundtrack to the novel itself, creating a perfect bridge between her literary universe and her upcoming album, due out in November. Her debut novel, *Nel mare c’è la sete* (Fandango, 2020), has been published in the UK, Australia and India.
