The risk of history and the need for happiness La mischia by Valentina Maini

La mischia, Valentina Maini’s debut novel, tells the story of two twins on the run from the family and political legacy of their parents, ETA terrorists. This essay shows how, by moving on themes that characterise many Italian novels of the 2000s, La mischia marks a significant departure: it shows the risks that the obsession with History has brought to narrative writing and overcomes the ethos of infecundity that has characterised the work of an entire generation of authors.