“A tragic yet optimistic autobiographical novel…brave…moving.” —Shelf Awareness
“Searingly poignant…an emotional portrait of unbearable loss, redemption, survival, and the struggle to find your way back from an event that detaches and derails everything about life itself. Written with eloquent prose and exacting, moving detail, Bianchi tells the tale of his broken life through fictional means, but with all the truths of loss, guilt, and self-forgiveness embedded throughout it. This is unforgettable.” —Bay Area Reporter
“Haunting and haunted. As beautiful as it is devastating. The Life of Those Left Behind is one of those rare books to capture the brutal nature of grief and loss while soaring as a stunning work of literature. Matteo B. Bianchi serves as both traveler and guide into a terrifying underworld we never expect to enter. It’s an indelible meditation on suicide, precision-tuned to break your heart.” —Christopher Bollen, author of Havoc
“It may be difficult to pigeonhole Matteo Bianchi’s new book, but there is no doubt that it is a brilliant exploration of an unbearable loss. Bianchi, who is a master storyteller, an insightful and sensitive memoirist, and a lyrical stylist, unites all his formidable talents in a book that thrillingly engages the reader’s mind and heart. The Life of Those Left Behind (seamlessly translated by Michael F. Moore), is a unique and important contribution to the literature of grieving, loving, and living.” —Peter Cameron, author of Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You
“With The Life of Those Left Behind, Matteo B. Bianchi, one of Italy’s finest writers, attains new heights of intimacy, acuity, and eloquence. A chronicle of a loved one’s suicide—what led up to it and what followed it—the novel is also a testament to human endurance and compassion, fallibility and wisdom. A necessary book.” —David Leavitt, author of Shelter in Place
“I have been waiting for a book like this for a long time…Matteo [Bianchi] is unique. The Life of Those Left Behind is a masterpiece that sheds light on his entire journey. It’s an invaluable gift for readers.” —Paolo Cognetti, author of The Eight Mountains
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