Vita is sick. Not a sniffle or short-lived virus but an endless cycle of sickness. She has been in her basement flat for months, trapped in ‘The Pit’ of pain, exhaustion and semi-consciousness. No doctor, not even her surgeon boyfriend, Max, can diagnose what is ailing her.
Vita is not talking to her sister and best friend, Gracie, Max often works late and she is kept company by her goldfish, Whitney Houston. One day, the ghost of 15th-century man Luigi da Porto, who Vita had tried to write a screenplay about when she lived in Verona in her early 20s, shows up and starts talking to her.
When Vita leaves the basement flat briefly, she meets her upstairs neighbours Mrs Rothwell and lodger, Jesse. Soon, conversations with Mrs Rothwell, Jesse and Luigi start making Vita face up to truths she’d rather keep buried. Is there really anything wrong with her – or is the problem Vita herself?
This is a short but powerful book, exploring the impact of trauma and grief on the body and brain. It packs an emotional punch, soaring well beyond the walls of Vita’s sickroom to meditate on life, love and the stories we tell – or hide – from ourselves.
Reviewed by Melinda Woledge
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