A review by rockingreader
The Day Before Happiness, by Erri De Luca

4.0

I was intrigued when a Postcrosser from Switzerland recommended this Italian coming of age novel. It takes place in the same era as Elena Ferrente’s My Brilliant Friend novels to give you an idea of setting and tone. I liked the bits of Italian woven throughout and it probably reads beautifully in the original. The story follows the adventures of an orphan taken under the wing of his apartment building’s doorman. Includes a cast of interesting tenants and the return of the girl who captivated him as a boy.