On the hottest day of one of the hottest summers anyone can remember, journalist Federico Desideri is sent on an assignment: to interview Italy’s latest Oscar-winning film director. But in Rome. A world away from the reassuring familiarity of his native Milan.
When the director turns out to be elusive, and the Romans as rough as their reputation, Federico falls in with Barry Volpicelli, a seductive, fast-talking, America-obsessed rogue and supposed inspiration for the winning movie’s lead character. Instead of nailing the interview, he finds himself in Paradiso— a crumbling seaside estate with an eccentric cast of inhabitants who seem frozen in time.
Combining the style and charm of Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty with the wit of Alan Bennett, this social comedy for the social media generation is a blisteringly funny exploration of reality, illusion and the enduring myth of the Eternal City.
“The book everyone is talking about. By our sharpest writer, who is as cynical as he is tender” LUCA GUADAGNINO, Director of CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
“A darkly comic journey through the Roman night, among eccentric characters and disenchanted glamour” CORRIERE DELLA SERA
On the hottest day of one of the hottest summers anyone can remember, journalist Federico Desideri is sent on an assignment: to interview Italy’s latest Oscar-winning film director. But in Rome. A world away from the reassuring familiarity of his native Milan.
When the director turns out to be elusive, and the Romans as rough as their reputation, Federico falls in with Barry Volpicelli, a seductive, fast-talking, America-obsessed rogue and supposed inspiration for the winning movie’s lead character. Instead of nailing the interview, he finds himself in Paradiso— a crumbling seaside estate with an eccentric cast of inhabitants who seem frozen in time.
Combining the style and charm of Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty with the wit of Alan Bennett, this social comedy for the social media generation is a blisteringly funny exploration of reality, illusion and the enduring myth of the Eternal City.
“The book everyone is talking about. By our sharpest writer, who is as cynical as he is tender” LUCA GUADAGNINO, Director of CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
“A darkly comic journey through the Roman night, among eccentric characters and disenchanted glamour” CORRIERE DELLA SERA
PREORDER - Out 19th June 2026
Country of Origin: ITALY
Author: MICHELE MASNERI
Translation: RICHARD VILLAGE
