Matteo Carmignoli
La ragazza oltre il mare

Truly impressed by the first book of this emerging writer and by all its explicit cruelty, I immediately got my hands on his second publication. And what can I say… I was astounded. “The Girl Beyond the Sea” is something TOTALLY DIFFERENT from its predecessor, “The Fallen.” “The Girl Beyond the Sea” is one of the most poetic and romantic tales I have ever read, although despite this, now and then the dark and perverse side typical of this writer still makes an appearance. A romantic story, but not a banal one. At times it is almost dreamlike, occasionally giving way to moments of melancholy and pain. The book is the diary of an anonymous character who, in the first person, recounts the most important events of this brief relationship with a mysterious girl from a mysterious island beyond the sea, when, however, this relationship has already abruptly and painfully come to an end. Thus, the entire narrative, poetic, romantic, but never cloying, often rather engaging, is filled with a nostalgia that I think cannot help but infect a reader with a beating heart ahahahahah. That said, I may have already revealed too much, but I wholeheartedly recommend reading this short tale, which is quite light after all, something I would never have expected after reading the dark and profound, even abyssal, “The Fallen.” I think “The Girl Beyond the Sea,” even if certainly not a masterpiece, could be perfect as a beachside read to tackle a not overly sultry day at the sea ;) I also invite you to read my previous review on the other book by this writer that no one seems to know.