Marina Morpurgo's historical novel "Passo Falso" catapults us back into the period of World War II, offering us an engaging, fictionalized narrative set in those tumultuous years. At the center of the plot emerges Professor Emilio Rastelli, a retired pediatrician with a rough, difficult and closed personality. Until now, he has jealously kept secrets about his past and, in particular, his family.
The protagonist, however, begins to be affected by dementia, which undermines his self-control. Behind his temperament, a darker shadow appears, raising doubts about his true identity. The search for answers becomes a daunting task as Professor Rastelli oscillates between moments of lucidity and others of agitation and delirium, testing the patience of his wife and caregiver.
A vague clue materializes when Professor Rastelli runs away from home, each time being found along the eastern shore of Lake Como. Slowly and compellingly, the novel reveals a parallel story that unfolds between 1943 and 1944. Two boys, Giuseppe and Antonio, whose lives intersect in a complicated context, emerge. Joseph, of Jewish descent, is on the run for survival, while Antonio, a young black shirt, raids Jews and anti-fascists with indifference.
Both handsome and blond, the two young men gravitate to the banks of the Lario, offering a profound and engaging look at the randomness with which fate will shape their existences. Marina Morpurgo, with her light and ironic style, keeps readers glued to the pages, delivering a history lesson that shows how much fate can influence, in often random ways, the lives of victims and perpetrators during those troubled years of Italian history.