Nic pravdivého – Raimo Veronica (2025)

An Italian autofiction sensation in which nothing is certain at all.

The family of our heroine consists of a meddlesome mother, a cleanliness-obsessed father, a favored genius brother, and her little self — Very. She gazes out through the narrow windows of their cramped apartment, trying to escape the terror of boredom and anxious caretaking, but in an environment bounded by her parents' dubious methods, she stands no chance. In the interest of preserving her sanity, she begins to invent her own stories and becomes a writer — and a liar.

Veronica recounts her unsuccessful attempts at independence and breaking free from various forms of manipulation, exploring her own sexuality, and above all, her somewhat quirky perception of reality. She allows us to experience life in Rome from the 1980s to the turn of the millennium, and with wit and subtle tenderness, she describes the challenging theme of growing up into a woman. Despite the brisk and humorous narration, suffocating existential themes occasionally surface, reminding us that instead of the story of a winner with a charming smile on her face, we could just as well be reading the story of a victim.