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Rating: "Due di due" is primarily the story of a friendship between Mario (the narrator) and Guido.
They meet at a Classical High School in Milan during the Quarta Ginnasio at the time of the '68 movements, and right from the start, the opposing psychological traits of the two characters are defined: if Guido is a dreamer, charismatic, active during the student revolts, Mario is shy, awkward, and constantly in the shadow of his friend Guido. Despite these differences, or perhaps because of them, an intense friendship develops between the two, starting among the school desks, continuing through student meetings, demonstrations, and wooing girls, and solidified during a vacation in Greece, where they manage to create, with a group of tourists, a sort of Eden, never again found among the pages of the book.
The two then part ways; Mario, after a reckless trip to Turkey, finds peace in a valley near Gubbio, marrying Martina and raising the family on the fringes of civilization, while news of Guido varies. The beauty of the novel lies in the splendid characterization of this character, who cannot adapt to this society, made of concrete and pollution, conformity, and state interference.
This very thing leads him to a love-hate relationship with Milan; in fact, this city, with all its faults, will remain a source of inspiration and essential tension for Guido (very far from Mario's calm nature), causing their paths to cross multiple times. His rebellious spirit, marked by impatience with stability and long-term projects, preferring risk and the thousand possibilities that present themselves, will make happiness for Guido an utopian goal.
The novel, after many twists and turns, concludes with the inevitable ending, leaving you with a sense of bitterness and reflection.
The book is at times very fluid, and the almost 400 pages fly by in the blink of an eye. I don't give it 5 stars because I found the second part of the book a bit verbose, excessively dwelling on Mario's farming and agrarian projects. Ultimately, however, a great discovery.
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