From the author of Hollow Kingdom, a fantastically funny story featuring a cast of colorful characters in a dying Italian village and a giant truffle that changes their fate forever in this âdeliciously absurd tale....I savored every page of this book.â (Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures)
After nearly losing the election to a geriatric donkey, newly installed Mayor Delizia Miccuci canât help but feel like the sun has finally set on the rural Italian village of Lazzarini Boscarino. Tourists only stop by to ask for directions, Nonna Amaraâs cherished ristorante is long shuttered, and the town hall is disgustingly overrun with glis glis pooâeven Postman Duccio has been disgraced. All thatâs left is Bar Celebrità , a rustic establishment where weary locals gather to quibble over decades-long disputes, submit their poor stomachs to bartender Giuseppinaâs volcanic espresso, and wonder what will become of the place where together theyâve spent their entire lives. Â
Little do the villagers know that local truffle hunter Giovanni Scarpazza has just happened upon something that could change everything. A truffleâun tartufo, that isâsits beneath the soil with the power to either be the greatest gift or the foulest curse the village has ever seen.
Written in the same enchanting style and raucous humor that defines Hollow Kingdom and Feral Creatures, Tartufo is a reflection on the interconnectedness of life in all its manifestationsâand how holding on to harmony in the face of hardship can grow something beautiful and rare beneath the surface.