Separate Rooms by Pier Vittorio Tondelli – Book Review

The premise of the book

(No danger here, spoiler-free zone.)

The author Pier Vittorio Tondelli first published his novel in 1989. It portrays queer life in Europe in the 80s. Through the eyes of Leo, a gay Italian writer who sees his love, his muse, and his partner, Thomas, a German musician, dying. Trying to navigate grief and his own introspective journey through landscapes of Germany, Spain, Italy and France. Just to name a few, through Europe. Slowly letting the reader inside his thoughts, desires, self-love and hatred. But also, shame, fear and guilt, while trying to make sense of it all. Trying to survive and convince himself to keep on going.

The author died tragically in 1991, due to AIDS. The novel is adapted to film by Luca Guadagnino, starring actor Josh O’Connor.

Alienation, life and death

(SPOILER ALERT!!)

I was having a hard time reading it. Mostly because I got to realise that I’m going through my own introspective journey. Quite like therapy and healing, it is a painful process. A woman in her 30s, trying to decide who she is. Is she still that girl she used to know too well? Or did she lose her while fighting through the one she got to know through her young adult life. Frankly, I wasn’t necessarily expecting to relate to Leo this much. But I definitely did, and I think everyone would to a certain degree, and should.

The vulnerability and resilience of the tender transition from childhood to young adult to middle age is something that many of us are going through. And having an author who uses words like crutches and shields and bouquet of flowers can help you, the reader, to understand your own struggles and desires a little bit better.

All the while, he introduces to us Europe’s queer-scene in the 80s. An intellectual and artistic movement in the haze of narcotics and everything that comes with it. It’s raw, it’s honest and it’s laid out in front of us, without hesitation. Not many times have I felt that after finishing the book, I want to give a hug to an author, but this time I really do. Not because I think he would need one, but because I do.

Overall

Separate Rooms consists of 304 pages with a medium-to-slow paced storyline with mostly character-driven plot line. An emotional and meditative queer read. It’s getting published on the 22nd of April by Zando (US) and Hachette (UK). 

I definitely had to take breaks in between some hard-to-read scenes. I am in the middle of a reading slump, so it wasn’t the easiest read for me, but it was so worth it to push it through. I’m so glad that I met this book and through this story, the author. I got to understand more about my childhood and young adulthood above anything else. 

If you are having a rough time figuring out life or just going through grief and you are happy to read about it, I truly recommend this beautiful novel to you. We all start somewhere as someone.

A huge thank you to Emily from Zando, for my Netgalley review copy.