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The Ring: & The Opposite of Death
In Italy's impoverished south, choices are limited. Rules and traditions are more powerful than the lives of individuals, and young Italians who stand on the right side of the law still find themselves on the frontline. In 'The Opposite of Death', Maria is a seventeen-year-old widow before she has even made it to the altar; her fiance enlisted and died in Afghanistan to avoid a life controlled by the mafia. In 'The Ring', a tale of bloody vengeance, a young woman comes to visit from the north, bringing with her ignorance and prejudice. Two women at separate poles of experience. Roberto Saviano has become a symbol of a whole generation of lost young Italians; these stories demonstrate once more the commitment to truth and justice that made Gomorrah such an exceptionally brave book.
80 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 2013
42 people want to read
About the author
Roberto Saviano
82 books1,346 followersRoberto Saviano is an Italian writer and journalist.
In his writings, articles and books he employs prose and news-reporting style to narrate the story of the Camorra (a powerful Neapolitan mafia-like organization), exposing its territory and business connections.
In 2006 he wrote his bestselling book Gomorrah, where he describes the clandestine particulars of the Camorra business.
In his writings, articles and books he employs prose and news-reporting style to narrate the story of the Camorra (a powerful Neapolitan mafia-like organization), exposing its territory and business connections.
In 2006 he wrote his bestselling book Gomorrah, where he describes the clandestine particulars of the Camorra business.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 6, 2017
This book contains two short stories, based in Italy, about loss and death.
I thought both of the short stories were effective - with 'The Ring' being the better of the two. There were a few touching moments (especially in ‘The Ring’), but nothing that stayed with me.
I thought both of the short stories were effective - with 'The Ring' being the better of the two. There were a few touching moments (especially in ‘The Ring’), but nothing that stayed with me.
February 21, 2017
Saviano, the award-winning journalist who wrote Gomorra, turns his hand to short stories here, and does a very creditable job. The two stories in this brief collection both deal with the trapped youth of rural Southern Italy. In The Ring these young men become foot-soldiers in the wars between organised crime gangs. Saviano contrasts this in The Opposite of Death where they become foot-soldiers in the war in Afghanistan. Both stories end badly for the young men involved.
These stories are cold-eyed accounts of tragic lives by somebody well-used to reporting such events. They are both compelling and convincing tales. I only wish Saviano had written more of them.
These stories are cold-eyed accounts of tragic lives by somebody well-used to reporting such events. They are both compelling and convincing tales. I only wish Saviano had written more of them.
July 5, 2025
An obvious starting point for this review is to say that this collection contains only two stories. Without a doubt, Saviano has more real-life tales he can fictionalize. But by focusing his efforts on these two - The Ring and The Opposite of Death - he shows us not just how intimately he knows this part of Italy, but also how much insight and culture he can pack into a short story.
The Ring uses, unsurprisingly, two rings to bookend the story and expose the tension between north and south. The narrator feels an internalised shame while waiting for her northern visitor, yet her eventual anger at northern condescension drives the story forward. It is an account of limited economic opportunities, the mafia separating locals from migrants, and innocents being painted as guilty by virtue of where they come from. The broad strokes may be familiar to most, but Saviano really excels when he describes the physical sensations of the narrator and the curious details after a violent episode - a halo formed from spilt wine. The conclusion features a wandering old woman. It has a wounding, piercing pathos.
The Opposite of Death talks about how many of the local men enlist in the 'latest war'. It is such a common occurrence, the war is never really referred to in any other way, as if the inhabitants of this region exist in an infinite now, marked by a need to make money and a shade of fatalism that teaches people to expect tragedy and learn how to profit from it. Dog tags are a fashionable metaphor here, and even the criminals wear them in case they get killed while on the job. They dangle off necks instead of crucifixes, even during love-making. The emotional thrust of the story comes from a young widow whose fiancé has been killed in Afghanistan. She dreams of escaping there and wearing a burqa so she can grieve privately.
Of the stories in this collection, people tend to favour The Ring. If I were pushed into choosing, I would probably say the same. But both have a deep resonance. The collection is a stirring mixture of reportage and tenderness, with heart-rendering scenes and characters that will stay with you long after finishing the book.
The Ring uses, unsurprisingly, two rings to bookend the story and expose the tension between north and south. The narrator feels an internalised shame while waiting for her northern visitor, yet her eventual anger at northern condescension drives the story forward. It is an account of limited economic opportunities, the mafia separating locals from migrants, and innocents being painted as guilty by virtue of where they come from. The broad strokes may be familiar to most, but Saviano really excels when he describes the physical sensations of the narrator and the curious details after a violent episode - a halo formed from spilt wine. The conclusion features a wandering old woman. It has a wounding, piercing pathos.
The Opposite of Death talks about how many of the local men enlist in the 'latest war'. It is such a common occurrence, the war is never really referred to in any other way, as if the inhabitants of this region exist in an infinite now, marked by a need to make money and a shade of fatalism that teaches people to expect tragedy and learn how to profit from it. Dog tags are a fashionable metaphor here, and even the criminals wear them in case they get killed while on the job. They dangle off necks instead of crucifixes, even during love-making. The emotional thrust of the story comes from a young widow whose fiancé has been killed in Afghanistan. She dreams of escaping there and wearing a burqa so she can grieve privately.
Of the stories in this collection, people tend to favour The Ring. If I were pushed into choosing, I would probably say the same. But both have a deep resonance. The collection is a stirring mixture of reportage and tenderness, with heart-rendering scenes and characters that will stay with you long after finishing the book.
December 7, 2023
"I don't think that I have ever been ashamed of the place where I grew up, but adolescence presumes to determine what should be savoured and what should be avoided: which areas, and then which locations within those areas, ans then even which moments within those locations.""
A short but confident book. Two short stories which actually took me a while to get through. I'm not sure why. I read the first, which I preferred, and then the second - well, I just couldn't find the time to sit and consume it in one sitting. I couldn't justify starting such a short piece and not finishing it all at once.
""There are places where being born means being guilty. The first newborn breath and the final death rattle have equal value. The value of guilt.""
A really good book to read after quite a few epics. It reminds me how hard it is to make a short piece perfect, but how imperfections get you thinking. They certainly help me, as a writer.
A short but confident book. Two short stories which actually took me a while to get through. I'm not sure why. I read the first, which I preferred, and then the second - well, I just couldn't find the time to sit and consume it in one sitting. I couldn't justify starting such a short piece and not finishing it all at once.
""There are places where being born means being guilty. The first newborn breath and the final death rattle have equal value. The value of guilt.""
A really good book to read after quite a few epics. It reminds me how hard it is to make a short piece perfect, but how imperfections get you thinking. They certainly help me, as a writer.
December 18, 2022
Synopsis: The book comprises of two short stories, based in Italy. The first short story gives an insight into the Italian mafia organisation, Camorra, how it recruits youth and how their lives are endangered. It also talks about the poverty in the South of Italy, near the WW2 era . A heartbreaking account it is. The second story moves around a dead soldier, who had been sent to Afghanistan and died in the war. His family, specially his newlywed wife, is completely shattered with grief.
The thing about these stories, that makes them captivating, is their bravery and the truth they tell. Youth being exploited within the country, by the mafia. Youth being exploited outside the country, by the government. Dirty politics, something that destroys lives.
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I really liked the writing style of the author, though, at some places, it kinda deteriorated, I think, that’s due to translation. Translations really affect writings at times, no matter how hard they try to avoid that. Still, it’s the lesson of these stories, that will have a deep impact on the reader. I wished there were more such stories in this collection.
The thing about these stories, that makes them captivating, is their bravery and the truth they tell. Youth being exploited within the country, by the mafia. Youth being exploited outside the country, by the government. Dirty politics, something that destroys lives.
.
I really liked the writing style of the author, though, at some places, it kinda deteriorated, I think, that’s due to translation. Translations really affect writings at times, no matter how hard they try to avoid that. Still, it’s the lesson of these stories, that will have a deep impact on the reader. I wished there were more such stories in this collection.
August 25, 2024
3.5 stars
Italian noir neo-realism.
These are two short stories first published in 2007 in the Italian press. Both stories are set over the backdrop of the impoverished Southern Italy, its rules, traditions and prejudices. The Ring is a reflection on the codes of tradition and silence. These so very familiar to Saviano.
The Opposite of Death is a well too realistic aphorism of the struggles for hope of the impoverished Italian youth.
Both stories also describe two different women in the impoverished outskirts of Naples.
Italian noir neo-realism.
These are two short stories first published in 2007 in the Italian press. Both stories are set over the backdrop of the impoverished Southern Italy, its rules, traditions and prejudices. The Ring is a reflection on the codes of tradition and silence. These so very familiar to Saviano.
The Opposite of Death is a well too realistic aphorism of the struggles for hope of the impoverished Italian youth.
Both stories also describe two different women in the impoverished outskirts of Naples.
May 25, 2024
Two short but powerful stories of lives cut short and what it means for those left behind. Saviano’s prose flows so easily and in the space of 70 pages gives you an intimate glimpse into life in southern Italy, blighted by the mafia and by a lack of prospects for the young. I greatly enjoyed these stories (enjoyed might be the wrong word considering the subject matter). I look forward to trying his other works in the future.
March 5, 2020
This is a slim book of 2 short stories - or rather literary works based, I'm guessing, on true stories. The writing (and the translation) is lyrical and moving and the first piece, The Ring, is especially strong.
January 28, 2024
Two short stories, one focuses on innocent friends who are collateral damage from gang violence, the other about a young couple impacted and widowed by the afghan war. But both explore poverty and lack of opportunity in southern Italy, especially for young people.
May 26, 2017
To fint fortalte noveller om indre og ydre krig i det fattige Syditalien af Roberto ("Gomorra") Saviano. http://bognoter.dk/2017/05/22/roberto...
October 20, 2015
Two beautiful short stories. The whole thing will take you less than and hour to read, but then it stays with you for a long period of time. I especially liked The Opposite of Death, which is heartbreaking for two reasons. The first, the way it's written, and the second, it could happen. Though the first story isn't as realistic to me (I'm not very ingrained in Southern Italian culture) they both ring true to me.
November 5, 2016
These are short stories - no story, but prose that on occasion is beautiful and evocative.
December 3, 2016
These stories are just beautiful - concise and wonderfully evocative.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews