All That is Left of Life

Roberta Recchia author Antonella Lettieri translator

Format:Hardback

Publisher:John Murray Press

Published:10th Jul '25

£20.00

Available for immediate dispatch.

All That is Left of Life cover

'Will soon become a classic.' Elle España
'One of the most beautiful Italian novels of recent years.' The Hollywood Reporter Roma
'Every book club will want to discuss this novel.' Sarah Damoff, bestselling author of The Bright Years

One summer evening, in a quiet seaside town near Rome, everything changes for the Ansaldo family.


The Ansaldo family's contented life is built on routine, with days spent running their beloved delicatessen and summers at their modest house by the sea. But when sixteen-year-old Betta sets off for a beach party and never returns, they are left only with grief - and questions.

The town whispers, the police are lost, and as the family fractures under the weight of their loss, no one suspects the burden Miriam carries. She has answers, but vows to tell no one, even those who loved Betta most. Seeking to bury her heavy secret, Miriam drifts into the orbit of Leo, a young drug dealer, and gains an unlikely set of friends. But when Leo starts to pull loose the threads of Betta's fate, will his search for the truth offer Miriam a way forward or risk unravelling everything?

Readers around the world are saying . . .

'Alive, authentic, told with an intensity that touches the heart' ★★★★★
'One of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Devoured in a day and a half' ★★★★★
'This book is a punch in the stomach . . . and a journey into the depths of the human being' ★★★★★
'Made me cry over and over again . . . A book I will never forget!' ★★★★★
'A novel you think about all day . . . while experiencing all the emotions in the world. You fall in love, cry, go crazy with rage' ★★★★★
'An amazing story! I read it in one day, I couldn't leave it . . . So exciting, warm, painful, loving and surprising' ★★★★★
'A true masterpiece' ★★★★★

One of the best books I've read in 2024 . . . [All That is Left of Life] will soon become a classic. * Elle España *
One of the most beautiful Italian novels of recent years, difficult to fit into a single genre. Roberta Recchia's book is a vast family saga spanning three generations, combining elements of thriller, romance and Bildungsroman. * The Hollywood Reporter Roma *
Every book club will want to discuss this novel. Urgent and affecting, All That is Left of Life is an epic story that holds violence up to the light, where its isolating devastation is shown-but where tenderness and hope are revealed to be just as powerful. Recchia masterfully demonstrates how complicated it can be to survive, yet how worthwhile. This is a sharp-eyed, soft-hearted exploration of the human experience, and I will never forget it. -- Sarah Damoff, bestselling author of THE BRIGHT YEARS
A universal and timeless story. * Corriere di Puglia e Lucania *
Recchia captures the very essence of her heroine's inner struggles, making her journey both tragic and universal. Marisa, a figure of resistance in the face of moral and familial oppression . . . It is a tragedy, splendid, distressing, superb. * ActuaLitté *
A captivating family novel, but also a Bildungsroman fueled by a very subtle psychological vein. Despite the cruelty of the events narrated, tenderness and gentleness are sought and highlighted, in a game of balance of forces from which hope emerges. * Tiscali *
A gripping family novel. * Alles für die Frau *
An emotional rollercoaster . . . * Kleine Zeitung *
As if you can feel the Italian sun on your skin. Captivating . . . and very profound! * Neue Freizeit *

ISBN: 9780349704586

Dimensions: 244mm x 158mm x 58mm

Weight: 696g

480 pages