"Niccolò Ammaniti's first novel, I'm Not Scared, became first a bestseller and then a successful film. The Crossroads, winner of Italy's Booker equivalent, the Premio Strega, feels as though it is trying to do both things at once, cutting out the need for a screen adaptation entirely. The story moves along at a cinematic clip; sections and chapters are a page or half a page long. Almost every scene contains a twist - and, because of this, the reader soon starts second-guessing the action. If a scene begins with a character fearing impotence, it will end with them sexually triumphant. If a character seems to have died, they will be resurrected. Also, every scene has an explicit point. The characters are shunted around with no regard for plausibility." (Toby Litt, The Guardian)
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