I could not have imagined that from that night on, my whole life would change, that what appeared to be a trap would instead turn out to be a catapult for the spirit.” Elia Rameau, a young linguist from Paris who travels the world to catalog exotic languages, is sent on a delicate mission: he must study and describe the language of Pietramala, an isolated village in the mountains of Corsica. After a journey in which everything seems to be part of a conspiracy to prevent his arrival in Pietramala, Elia discovers that the village hides three mysteries: it was suddenly abandoned centuries before, every trace of written language has been erased and there are no children graves in the cemetery. What holds these absences together? An adventurous journey begins that takes Elia to a huge, stately stone building in Manhattan to decipher the secret of the Pietramala language, a language that threatens to kill again. In this journey Elia faces ambushes, escapes, deceptions, falls in love for a wonderful girl, establishes a the magical friendship with two theater actors, experiences the hatred for those who violate human nature, feels helpless in front of a riddle and sees the world as an exhilarating source of images and flavors. A compelling novel that changes and moves the readers, leading them to discover new worlds, impossible languages and unforgettable loves.
