OUTSIDERS

These stories are linked by common themes of belonging, dislocation and identity, and together they take the pulse of a country in turmoil. In ‘The Opposite of Death’ Roberto Saviano writes about a town in southern Italy haunted by the war in Afghanistan, where one by one its sons are dying. Carlo Lucarelli (‘Ferengi’) explores the colonial war in Eritrea through the eyes of a maid working for a sick man who begs her to end his suffering. Piero Colaprico’s ‘Grade C’ is a breathless Milanese crime thriller in miniature, while Valeria Parrella’s ‘The Prize’, set during World War II, reminds us that revenge is a dish best served cold. Contains stories by Roberto Saviano, Carlo Lucarelli, Valeria Parrella, Piero Colaprico, Wu Ming, and Simona Vinci.