That’s the Way It is

Working at a recycling center, Gaetano has learned to approach discarded objects the same way he approaches novels: with curiosity, empathy, and an instinct for the stories hidden beneath the surface. Over the years, he has come to recognize the quiet grief of children struggling to part with the belongings of deceased parents, the anger of those desperate to erase the memory of a failed relationship, and the hopeful excitement of those embarking on a new life.

One day, a distinguished gentleman leaves behind an intricately inlaid side table that reminds Gaetano of his father, a craftsman from Sorrento. Convinced it might be his father’s work, he takes it home for a closer look—only to discover he was mistaken. But inside a hidden drawer, he finds an unsent letter addressed to a woman named Anna, a heartfelt attempt to mend a wound shaped by love, regret, and guilt.

The abandoned note resonates deeply with Gaetano’s sense of failure and missed chances, awakening in him an irresistible curiosity. His search leads him to Giulio Vergani, an elderly professor of philology. Approaching him under false pretenses and concealing the existence of the letter, an unlikely friendship is forged with the lonely academic. Gaetano begins searching for Anna—setting in motion a moving journey toward an unexpected finale.

With warmth, humor, and emotional depth, Rosario Pellecchia delivers a poignant novel about second chances, hidden lives, and the possibility of rewriting the ending of one’s story. A deeply human tale that reminds us it is never too late to begin again.