From Another World

by Evelina Santangelo, Ruth Clarke (Translator)

The seas are filled with migrants risking their lives on perilous crossings; Europe is engulfed by xenophobia and fear. In the cities and towns, in the schools and shops, strange children are starting to appear: enigmatic and unnerving, they disappear like ghosts, causing uproar. Amid mounting paranoia, Khaled, a young teenager from a war-torn Middle Eastern country, by chance meets Karolina in a discount store in Brussels. She buys him a red suitcase, and they part ways: Karolina to both mourn and search for her missing son, whose laptop betrays his entanglement with extremist groups; Khaled to head south, against the flow of other refugees - travelling with urgent intent, desperately protecting the contents of his suitcase. At once a ghost story, a morality tale and a quest narrative, From Another World is a striking reflection on loss, grief and the struggle to brave love in a world seized by fury.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2018

Reviews

[Ends of the Word · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gothic and horror literature has long been derided as a mere purveyor of chills and thrills. While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with literature providing “cheap thrills”, the genre has, from inception, been more than that. More often than not, it has also reflected (and reflected upon) social and political concerns. One thinks, for example, of Godwin’s radical Caleb Williams, or the urban Gothic of the 19th Century with its portrayal of the misery of the lower classes. In our times, the proliferation of feminist Gothic is a continuation of this socially and politically aware tradition, as are other contemporary works, such as Stephen Graham Johnson’s The Only Good Indians, Ahmed Saadawi’s Frankenstein in Baghdad with its ghoulish portrayal of Iraq and the Peruvian horror of Red April by Santiago Roncagliolo.

From Another World, Ruth Clarke’s English translation of “Da Un Altro Mondo” by Sicilian author Evelina Santangelo fits well in this company. Even though it is not being marketed primarily as a “Gothic novel”, its central premise is chilling and eerie. Set alternately in Brussels and different parts of Italy, Santangelo’s novel imagines a Sicily haunted by apparitions of migrant children, who intermingle with local students, only to disappear, unaccounted for, whenever one tries to pin them down. I call them “apparitions”, but their nature remains vague and enigmatic. One could interpret them as ghosts of youths who failed to complete the deadly sea-journey towards Europe, or spectres of migrant children who died in accidents while working on the black market. Ultimately, however, these mysterious “visions” are possibly best understood as a metaphor – African migrants in Europe are, more often than not, stateless and without an official identity. Like spectral creatures, they are there-and-not-there. At the same time, the panic created by these “apparitions” reflects the often unfounded “fear of the other” which serves to fuel racist rhetoric.

Around this central idea, Santangelo weaves a number of related sub-plots – for instance, the story of immigrant Khaled who, after his younger brother dies in an accident in Brussels, starts an arduous voyage to return his remains home. Or the tale of Karolina, who searches for her missing son, unsure whether he’s joined a far-right group or, on the contrary, whether he’s been radicalised by an Islamist cell in Brussels (a timely reminder that all extremists are, ultimately, of the same ilk).

From a narrative perspective, I found From Another World disappointing because its various plot threads never really coalesce, and seem to deliberately avoid closure. This notwithstanding, the novel still leaves an impact because of the powerful imagery at its heart, and because of the way in which it successfully harnesses Gothic tropes to highlight a topical and urgent subject. I feel that this is one of those books which some will find wanting, but which can just as easily become a timely “cult novel”.

3.5*

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...

[Crazytourists_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I 'd say this is the darkest, most brutal book I've ever read. It has its share of paranormal, which normally would.make me cringe and close it for ever, but in this case worked (the case being all these kids that die trying to reach the coasts of Europe in dinghies and row boats) and it is a bit more fragmented than I initially wanted, but that also works.
Europe has witnessed an increased number of people trying fleeing their countries and a huge number of people dieing trying. But it has also witnessed a greater amount of xenophobia, neo-nazism and fascism and pure hatred.
This books does a wonderful (if I can use this word) job grabbing a knife and stabbing you in the heart (if you have one).
It is quite hard to stick to it at the beginning but if you persevere for a few chapters and get the grip of the structure and story, it gets powerful.

[books4chess · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Luckily, Nadir wasn't sleeping in the room with him, otherwise who knows how many days he would have spent asking him, 'are you alive now, or are you still dead?".

Trigger warning: death of a young child.

Holy moly. The author shares Arabic sayings throughout the novel, most poignantly that "the tree of silence bears the fruit of peace" and Santangelo depicts this SO well with the plot twist. A combination of paranormal activity, the European response to the migrant crisis and a story similarly as harrowing as 'What Strange Paradise'.

Khaled, a young asylum seeker from the East, who seems to have left his brother after a falling out at the construction site he worked at on a cash-in-hand basis, is trying to get to somewhere new to help his situation. His end destination and purpose is unclear, but with his red suitcase by his side - kindly gifted by a random local - , Khaled seems to know what he has to do. Until he doesn't. Running on a similar timeline, the kind local stranger seems to have lost her son to radicalisation and has been accused by the police of supporting migrants, after being caught on CCTV buying the suitcase, becoming a victim of her own kindness and suffering.

Khaled captured my heart from the beginning, a victim of xenophobia and sensationalised media, encouraged to embark on a migration journey to support himself and his family. Along with the paranormal elements, the final plot twist reduced me to tears. The sheer devastation, silent suffering and inner strength personified, only to be so fruitless when revealed was cruel and unfair - much like the modern day asylum journey. Likewise, the kind local who simply wanted to save her son and sought to help Khaled in his absence, made my heart bleed. Despite being born and raised in the country, she's an outsider as a result of her religion and her actions. When do we ever truly integrate into a society? How is citizenship truly defined?

The book raises so many questions, and whilst at times the writing is confusing, it is worth powering on with for the final twists.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc.

[bookishbabeforlife · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a dark, gothic, fascinating about racism and fascism and the hostile xenophobia towards immigrants and foreigners especially of African descent in various parts of Italy. It is a translated novel from Spanish to English by Ruth Clarke.

When unidentified, ugly faces start showing on windows and in schools, and in public places, people are thrown in hysteria as they wonder whether these humans are real or not.
There is a story about Karolina, a woman in Brussels who's lost her son to either far-right extremists or Islamic terrorists in the name of radicalization. There is a story about Khaled, a young Muslim boy headed south of Italy, who carries with him a red suitcase which he can never let go until he gets to his location shown to him only by the piece of paper he carries with a red area encircled on it to guide him.

This novel is a heavy one for sure. Initially, I couldn't grasp head or tail of what I was reading but after braving through undeterred, things began to clear up. The themes became clearer and I could follow the story. I only wished that the different stories were well linked to each other. It was hard to keep up with the many countries and towns and dates given. But nonetheless, I got the major picture at the end. It's a difficult but nice read if you're willing to take your time and stick it out. I did learn about real life historical events and for that, I'd say it was worth it. Themes explored include: racism, fascism, white supremacy, xenophobia, extremism, immigrant experience, asylum seeking, hysteria pertaining to different parts of Italy.

I wouldn't know whether to classify this as a fantasy or not but it does have features of paranormal with ghosts of dead immigrants appearing in the stories.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#FromAnotherWorld #EvelinaSantangelo

[Sarah Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just finished reading an advanced copy of this book translated into English via NetGalley Uk and I’m in tiny little fragile bits
The book is a poetic memorable tale of the horrors of racism and of the people who we use the short sighted words illegal immigrants to describe .
It tackles the way communities close ranks on outsiders and the hysteria that fear of others can create in otherwise normal people .This hysteria borders madness so closely that it is hard to tell one from the other
I loved the sections where the ghost children infiltrated the otherwise naturalistic story line ,this was done so cleverly that as the reader you were repeatedly unsure if the child was real or imagined
There are sections that are so horrific that I could hardly dare to read on but these were intertwined with tender beautiful moments that will forever live with me .The novel is very timely and of the moment but at the same time could be set at almost any time in recent history
A good book is enjoyable but only a great one changes you the reader in in-perceivable ways .I feel a better person after reading this fabulous book and will be strongly recommending it

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always pleased to see a book published in translation - the dialogue between author and translator fascinates me almost as much as the book itself. This was no exception. I found the style reminded me of Marie Darrieussecq and I would love to know whether this was more author or more translator. The matter of fact prose belies an increasingly surreal tale.
There are themes of migration, grief and extremism, as well as this magical element. In that sense, the book is a little like Valeria Luiselli's Lost Children archive. Perhaps this surreal fantasy aspect of a plot is an important way to confront these very difficult topics. It can be hard to comprehend why somebody might become an extremist, or might harbour prejudice against a child who has fled conflict or poverty.
There are many characters and strands to the book, and I felt a little adrift at times. I would recommend a note of who is who. Other than that, it was a captivating read, and dealt with timely themes in an interesting way.

Review copy provided by NetGalley

[Annette Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to realise what was going on in this book because the story is so fragmented, like some kind of gruesome jigsaw. But gradually the different parts start to come together to show a terrifying, brutal truth about Europe and its attitudes towards, and treatment of, refugees. It's a distressing book, but an essential one, and worth sticking with it through the first chapters to get the fuller picture. Highly recommended but not for the faint hearted.

[Chiara | foxyyreads 🦊 · Rating 1 out of 5]

⭐️1/5⭐️
Uno dei libri peggiori che io abbia mai letto quest’anno: apprezzo il voler parlare di temi molto importanti, ma il libro non ha un filo logico che unisce le storie raccontate da diversi punti di vista, troppo confusionario.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frustrating - fluctuates between beautifully brutal and jarringly 'off'. Perhaps something has been lost in translation, or perhaps there are cultural nuances I'm missing. A worthwhile read regardless.

[Ana CR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book broke my heart and shook my mind.
From Another World is a book that the reader needs to put together as they go through it. Just like a jigsaw, the pieces need to be placed correctly to reveal the picture of a dark and heartbreaking story. We get to see a Europe plagued by xenophobia and the horrors that migrants and refugees face right after the challenging and not always successful journey. The multiple voices that participate in this novel make this book a complex and layered reflection of a reality that we still struggle to assimilate.

A painful but necessary read.

[OlgaP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confuso, senza alcun filo logico credibile. Si vede una piccola fiammella, un piccolo pallido spunto per rendere il libro interessante ma viene subito abbandonato. Sono incredula davanti al suo posto tra i 50 libri proposti per lo Strega

[Michele Gentili · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una bella scrittura prestata ad un intreccio che scricchiola un po'. Le storie dei personaggi principali, a tratti fulgide e commoventi, sembrano disinnescate in uno sviluppo che non convince a pieno.