Review: The Eight Mountains (by Paolo Cognetti)

 My Rating:  4 stars

This was a beautifully written story about the friendship of two young Italian boys, Pietro and Bruno – both of whom come from different backgrounds, yet from the moment they meet, they develop a closeness akin to two brothers.   Their friendship is indeed a special one, as Pietro is from the city and though he shares an almost immediate love for the Dolomites – the mountains located in the northeastern border of Italy where his family travels for vacation – he does not fully understand the deep relationship that his friend Bruno has with these mountains where he grew up, nor does he understand the inexplicable pull that these same mountains have on his own parents, especially his father.  Despite the divergent paths that their lives end up taking and the many months, even years, they often spend apart, the friendship between Pietro and Bruno endures over the course of several decades and later it is through Bruno that Pietro eventually comes to appreciate and connect to the late father with whom he had grown distant over the course of his life.  More than just a coming of age story, this is also one that emphasizes the bonds of family, especially that between father and son….at its core, this is a story about relationships in its many forms – between friends, various members of the family, love relationships, and of course, relationship with nature and its surrounding landscape.

There were so many things I loved about this atmospheric yet quietly written book:  the beautiful descriptions of the mountains and its surrounding landscape, rendered in a way that made the mountains an important character in the story;  the lyrical, contemplative prose, writing so full of depth and meaning, yet uncomplicated in its execution – I found myself highlighting extensively throughout my reading and even stopping at various points just to absorb and reflect upon what I had just read;  the characters whom I grew to really care about and root for, characters created by the author Paolo Cognetti so meticulously and presented with obvious care, yet were still realistically portrayed with personalities and flaws that we can all relate to -- characters that, by story’s end, made me feel a little saddened knowing that I would not be able to continue the journey with them.  I also loved the way all the different relationships were portrayed, especially the enduring friendship between Pietro and Bruno as well as the strenuous one between Pietro and his father…both relationships were poignantly drawn – touching, yet at the same time also heartbreaking. 

This was a book that captivated me from the beginning, found its way into my heart, and after that wouldn’t let go -- a short book, yet one packed with so much depth and meaning.  This was a lovely read, one that I won’t soon forget.  Definitely highly recommended!

Received ARC from Atria Books via NetGalley.