From the author ofย Hollow Kingdom,ย 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 โdeliciously absurd tale....I savored every page of this book.โ (Shelby Van Pelt, author ofย Remarkably Bright Creatures)
After nearly losing the election to a geriatric donkey, newly installed Mayor Delizia Miccuci canโt 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 Amaraโs cherishedย ristoranteย is long shuttered, and the town hall is disgustingly overrun withย glis glisย pooโeven Postman Duccio has been disgraced. All thatโs left is Bar Celebritร , a rustic establishment where weary locals gather to quibble over decades-long disputes, submit their poor stomachs to bartender Giuseppinaโs volcanic espresso, and wonder what will become of the place where together theyโve spent their entire lives. ย
Little do the villagers know that local truffle hunter Giovanni Scarpazza has just happened upon something that could change everything. A truffleโunย tartufo, that isโsits 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 definesย Hollow Kingdomย andย Feral Creatures, Tartufo is a reflection on the interconnectedness of life in all its manifestationsโand how holding on to harmony in the face of hardship can grow something beautiful and rare beneath the surface.