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Little Things That Save Us

Lorenza Gentile

Little Things That Save Us

Feltrinelli

Year: 2023

Pages: 320

The one thing you save might one day save you.


Gea’s small apartment in a charming neighborhood of Milan is filled with objects that might sooner or later be of use. Some call it junk, but for Gea, daughter of survivalists, there is no such thing. She cultivates her little vegetable garden, recycles, and repairs everything from bicycles to origami poems. Then she redistributes them to the neighbors not unlike Robin hood. She works as a local handywoman for her quirky neighbors: an 80-year-old doorman, a taciturn pensioner, the energetic owner of the diner down the street, a 14-year-old boy who dreams ofbecoming a bus driver.
But Gea is lonely. People her age don’t understand her. Perhaps because she grew up in the middle of nowhere with an apocalyptic father who taught her to prepare for the end of the world. Or because she sorely misses her brother who always dreamed of living in a big city.
Gea tries not to think about her past, or where her family is now. She has a bigger mission for the time being: to save the local junk shop from a real estate speculator who wants to sell it to the highest bidder. But she can’t do it on her own. Gea must find an ally, and fast, because if she can’t fix the past, at least she can create a better future. And meanwhile, she just may find love and friendship.


A handywoman who can fix everything but herself. 

A bankrupt junk store on the verge of eviction.  

A potpourri of irresistible characters essential to the neighborhood’s economy. 

When life seems cracked and broken, who says you can’t make it whole again? 

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Author's Bio