Why Italian women struggle with motherhood. Writer Silvia Avallone cuts taboos in new novel

She is young, beautiful and well off the mark. Writer Silvia Avallone, known for her bestseller Steel, also shuns in her compelling new novel Lifelightnot the sensitive topics, such as the economic crisis, infertility and unequal parenthood. 'Claiming freedom for yourself is something terrifying for an Italian woman.'

Rough edges

Poverty, economic malaise, gender inequality... 34-year-old Silvia Avallone showed in her first novel Steel, which sold 80,000 copies in the Netherlands, all the rough edges of Italy.

Also in her new book Lifelight she broaches sensitive subjects; it is a glowing, compelling mosaic novel, somewhat reminiscent of Elene Ferrante's Neapolitan novels in terms of atmosphere and characters. Set in a deprived neighbourhood in Bologna, a kind of Bijlmer-like area where children grow up in a poor and violent environment, the book deals with the present and future of the Italian family.

One of the main characters is 17-year-old Adele, who, together with her sister Jessica and mother Rosaria, has to cope without a father who is a shady charmer who has abandoned his family. When Adele becomes unintentionally pregnant by the handsome but criminal Manuel, she is pressured to give her child up for adoption after birth.

Neighbourhood boy Zeno is one of the few bright youngsters in the neighbourhood. But although he goes to grammar school, his home is otherwise as sad as Adele's and everyone else's in their rented barracks, as Zeno has to take care of his mother, who is psychologically messed up.

Wry contrast to Adele's unwanted pregnancy are the fruitless attempts of Zeno's disabled teacher Dora and her husband Fabio to have children. After yet another failed ivf and icsi attempt, Dora and Fabio decide to go for adoption and wait for agreement and a child in need of new parents.

Bringing to light

In an earlier interview, you said: what drives me to write, his anger and the desire to bring to light something that normally remains hidden. What was that with this novel?

,,When I was pregnant, I wanted to explore what it is like for other women to become mothers; for women who are on the periphery of society and for whom pregnancy or motherhood has many obstacles. Italy's birth rate is historically low, and this is mainly due to economic problems. There is a lack of work, especially for young people. There is an atmosphere of resignation and despondency. People have no money and no confidence in the future.

There is also a major cultural problem at play. Parenthood in Italy is motherhood; children are a woman's responsibility. There is virtually no parental leave for fathers, and childcare is very expensive. In Italy, it is a tragedy for women to combine work and a child. Mothers are really on their own. As a result, even for most, being a woman means nothing other than being a mother. It is a stalemate. That's not good for women, but also not good for children - they need a father too."

Playing the boss

Why are the men in your books all these assholes?

'There are now younger men who are NOT afraid to show their love for their children, and who attend childbirth, change nappies or prepare snacks. But that is only a small part of the younger generations. Still many men just want to be the boss, rather than part of the team that should be the family. They play father for five minutes in the evening and leave when things get too complicated. And this is also accepted in our society; most people think this situation is normal.'

Is that the case in all walks of life?

'Unfortunately yes, although it seems that things are slowly starting to change and more women are rebelling against this. But still over half of all Italian women do not work, and are therefore not financially independent. Their only job is to look after their husbands, children and parents. Adele feels that she herself is nothing; her only value lies in the fact that she is expecting a child. This is common. Claiming freedom for yourself is something terrifying for an Italian woman; you can hardly risk it. Significantly, Italy is one of the few countries to have a special word for murder of women: femicidio. Every two to three days in our country, a woman is murdered by her husband or boyfriend because she wants to leave him.'

You hope to change that with your novel?

'In any case, it is important to show the truth so that readers get to know it and think about it. That's why I show that inequality, fathers failing and women fighting.'

Italian taboos

How was this book received in Italy?

'Very good, partly because these topics are very topical, and have not often been dealt with in fiction. The neighbourhood I write about is not only typical of all the peripheries in Italy, but also of those in the rest of the West. That situation has been responsible for the election of Trump in America, the Brexit in England, you name it. There is no investment in those neighbourhoods and the population feels abandoned. As a result, such neighbourhoods have turned into a time bomb of anger. The other topic - the transformation of the family and issues like infertility, ivf and adoption - is still taboo in Italy. The rhetoric about natural conception is great, so couples with infertility problems experience a lot of shame. Treatments in hospitals are only accessible to married, heterosexual couples, and in addition, waiting lists are long.'

Political act

So do you consider this novel a political book?

'Yes, in my eyes, reading and writing are a political act. It is my way of getting out, getting to know other people, getting information and getting angry. In this digital age, it is extra important that we read and write and inform each other - including through the internet - instead of just taking selfies.'

How do you combine motherhood with work yourself?

'A month before I was due to give birth to my baby daughter, I started working on this book, and it was finished when she was a year old. I had her in a sling, so I had my hands free, and so I sat writing. I think she sensed my creativity, because she slept very well when I was working. To my mind, we really wrote it together. Now she is too big for that, so I work during the hours when she is at the nursery or my husband takes care of her. He is fantastic - he has done everything I have done too, except breastfeeding of course. He works six days a week in his bookstore, but usually he is with her part of the morning and I am with her in the afternoon.'

Hopeful

Despite the social woes, the book seems more hopeful than your previous one, correct?

'That is certainly true. I like to tell about the Italy of contradictions, the fringe areas, the taboos and arguments in living rooms. But so I wrote this book with a baby on my belly, and a baby is the future. Therefore, I did have to find a way into the future for the pregnant Adele. For her, it is ultimately the intelligent and sensitive Zeno, who takes the bus and goes to school in the city, who provides her with that path.'