For an author who finds comfort in the healing properties of storytelling, the suicide of a former partner is bound to lead to a cascade not only of emotions but also of written words. The ameliorative effect of books and writing is one of the topics central to The Life of Those Left Behind, a tragic yet optimistic autobiographical novel by Matteo B. Bianchi, translated from the Italian by Michael F. Moore. In August 1998, three months after their breakup, Bianchi's partner of seven years, whom he refers to only as S., returned to the apartment they had shared in Milan and hanged himself from a pipe. Bianchi made the discovery when he groped for the light switch in the dark upon returning home.
"I seek comfort in literature," Bianchi writes at the start. Unfortunately, he couldn't find books that provided solace to survivors. "I wish that back then I could have read a book like this," he shares. This work is his attempt to provide a frank but encouraging reflection for others in his situation. He chronicles the many steps he went through--discussions with S.'s ex-wife and young son; coping strategies such as therapy and the services of a psychic; commiseration with colleagues at the ad agency he worked for--sparing no detail in charting his journey from shock to acceptance and, ultimately, renascence: "At some point you have to allow yourself to move on. You have to forgive yourself." This brave novel is Bianchi's path toward that goal. --Michael Magras, freelance book reviewer