Me and you by Niccolo Ammaniti
Trans. by Kylee Doust. Text, 2012. ISBN 9781921758775.
(Ages: 14+) Recommended. The Italian author Niccolo Ammaniti is able
to present both the innocence and egotism of children and the dark,
threatening worlds they may inhabit in a convincing and gripping
way. In this novel Me and you, the voice of
fourteen-year-old Lorenzo is believable and persuasive. He describes
himself as uninterested in, at best, and as frightened by, at worst,
the world of his peers, and he gives way to rages. His psychiatrist
describes him as someone who cannot empathise with others, except
his parents. Lorenzo learns to survive by using Batesian mimicry,
pretending to be as his classmates are, boorish, loud and
disruptive. However, Lorenzo creates trouble for himself when he
overhears a group of friends planning a skiing trip. Lorenzo is a
good skier and imagines being part of the group. He tells his mother
that he has been invited along. Trapped in his lie by his mother's
happiness Lorenzo consequently plans to spend the week hiding in a
cellar, in the dark with his computer, cans of drink and food. All
seems to be proceeding well until his sojourn is interrupted by his
half-sister Olivia who Lorenzo is forced to realize is an addict
suffering frighteningly painful withdrawal symptoms. Her desperate
need and his ability to help her bring about a change in Lorenzo,
symbolized by a story he invents about a robot, created to
unfeelingly destroy, that learns to live and breed like sea turtles.
Lorenzo realizes that he can change his behaviour and learn to
become a friend to others. The outcome for Olivia is not so
positive. As in Ammaniti's earlier work I'm not scared the
resolution is shocking. The novel is simply written but thematically
rich. The world of Lorenzo is created with acute observations and
details. Me and you compares well with other novels written
from the point-of-view of main characters with a difficulty in
relating to others. This is recommended for secondary readers.
Jenny Hamilton