The Empire of Dirt

by Francesca Manfredi, Ekin Oklap (Translator)

There has always been tension in the “blind house,” where Valentina lives with her mother and grandmother in the Italian countryside. Valentina’s pious grandmother often hints at a family curse, and Valentina’s mother scoffs at superstition; it’s one of many points of friction between them, and one of the battlegrounds on which they fight to control Valentina’s upbringing.

But in the summer of 1996, when Valentina is twelve, she gets her period for the first time—and the curse suddenly becomes frighteningly real. Blood leaks from the walls; the house and farm are overrun with frogs; the kitchen crawls with flies. Valentina is certain that she is the cause of this cascading apocalypse, that she has brought catastrophe to the house and its inhabitants. In this propulsive coming-of-age novel, of mother-daughter relationships and painful family legacies, the events of one terrifying, transformative summer cast a long shadow.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Italy, Family, Literary Fiction, Horror, Translated Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2019

About the author

Francesca Manfredi è una scrittrice italiana. Nel 2015 è stata tra gli autori della serie teatrale 6Bianca realizzata dal Teatro Stabile di Torino. Tiene corsi di narrazione alla Scuola Holden di Torino, fondata nel 1994 da Alessandro Baricco. È rappresentata da Andrew Wylie, un famoso agente letterario statunitense, che ha conosciuto in occasione di una lezione da lui tenuta presso la Scuola Holden. Alcuni suoi lavori sono stati pubblicati su Linus (periodico) e sul Corriere della Sera. Afferma di essere stata influenzata dal minimalismo di Raymond Carver.

La sua prima raccolta di racconti Un buon posto dove stare ha vinto il Premio Campiello nella sezione Opera Prima 2017. Nel 2019 pubblica il suo primo romanzo, L'impero della polvere, edito da La nave di Teseo.

Reviews

[Olivia (Stories For Coffee) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The synopsis was more interesting than the actual plot

[♥ Sandi ❣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars Thanks to BookBrowse and W W Norton and Company for allowing me to read and review this book. Published July 12, 2022

Three generation of women in the Italian countryside with varying beliefs and superstitions. The pressure put on a young girl when she reaches womanhood.

This book reads easily and is very well written. The translation from Italian is spot on. From the premise it sounds as if it could go either way - a good mystery and lesson on other cultures or hokey and just totally unbelievable. I was pleasantly surprised how well I liked this book.

[lecturas_niponas · Rating 4 out of 5]

“No nos atrae la luz. Sino la oscuridad. Nos seduce lo que no podemos comprender, lo que nos asusta. Nos enamoramos de la sordidez, del polvo, de los defectos más que de la perfección.”

Marque esa cita y al terminar la novela sentí que servía para definirla.
Es inclasificable, atractiva y seductora.

[Ina Groovie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Desde que leí “Carcoma”’de Layla Martínez e incluso “La Azotea” de Fernanda Trías, mi compulsión por leer novelas con casas como protagonistas se agudizó y le exijo mucho al autor si va a explotar este personaje. Y esta novela, corta y sin mayores sobresaltos, desaprovecha en demasía el objeto de la casa como un cadáver. Tiene imágenes preciosas y hay un coqueteo con lo indecible, las tripas podridas y los estómagos dolidos, pero un poco más de todo (de las madres que paren únicamente mujeres, de la sexualidad temprana y otros) podría haber sublimado todo, con estos tópicos aún más extendidos.

De todas maneras, recomiendo leerlo.

[Shaina Isbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gross. Sad. Moving. Loved this so much

[Leah Rachel von Essen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Empire of Dirt by Francesca Manfredi, translated by Ekin Oklap, is a interesting premise, with some uneven execution. Valentina lives with her mother and grandmother in an old house whose metaphorical curse becomes very real—starting from the moment Valentina gets her period.
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The plagues (mirroring the Bible) come down on their home as Valentina struggles with growing up, coming of age, dealing with the ups and downs of sex and shame and growth as her world pivots around her. Her family deals with what to tell each other—usually deciding on silence—and those quietly kept secrets start to weigh on them all.
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This book could have been much stronger than it was. I think that the magical realism felt occasionally a little forced, and the story kind of petered out at the end. But I still felt motivated to finish it through to the end, and the setting and characters were a strong part of that.
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Content warnings for animal cruelty, death, grief.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to describe this book, as I'm not entirely sure what it is about. The book is a "girl coming of age" story, but there doesn't seem to be much of a story here. The description talks about a family curse which is hinted at, but there's very little of this included in the book. There's partially developed story lines with Valentina's friend Ilaria, romantic interest Marco, father, mother and grandmother, but none of these relationships seem to go anywhere in the book. I would have liked to see at least one of these explore in further detail as I had some interest. This book is short and quick to read, although my interest level in it was lacking.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a total impulse buy—the cover and jacket copy caught my attention instantly. I had a feeling it might not deliver, especially after skimming a few reviews beforehand, but I took the plunge anyway.

Three generations of women live together in the so-called "blind house," named for its windowless front-facing wall. Twelve-year-old Valentina longs for a normal childhood, but normal isn’t in the cards—especially when, on the night of her first period, a crack in her bedroom wall begins to bleed. Their home is a magnet for bizarre phenomena: overrun by infestations of frogs, flies, and locusts. The neighbors whisper about witches, while Valentina’s grandmother insists it's the weight of an old family curse.

Either way, Valentina refuses to heed her grandmother’s pleas for prayer. Instead, she nurses a growing resentment toward her mother—trapped in a relationship where neither seems able to reach the other. Her solace comes in fleeting escapes: the steady presence of her best friend Ilaria, the tentative spark with Marco, and the few, stolen moments with her estranged father.

The Empire of Dirt spends most of its time on the shifting insecurities of adolescence and the complexities of familial bonds, while barely skimming the surface of the paranormal intrigue that made its synopsis so compelling.

It was fine, and I’m fine with that. If you’re more drawn to the coming-of-age elements than the eerie undertones, this might be exactly what you’re looking for.

[Mag · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bien écrit, jolie atmosphère, mais j'ai trouvé que les chapitres s'enchaînaient sans vraiment tendre vers quelque chose. Déçue.

[Nanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not your "run of the mill" coming -of-age story.
"In this captivating English-language debut, three generations of women must face their secrets and regrets when an old family curse awakens" is a blurb used to describe this novel, yet for me, it didn't read that way. I am not sure what the significance the "Curse" makes for this family, and I am also not sure why the entire town feels the women aren't "normal". The story moved along well enough but I felt certain circumstances were arbitrarily thrown in to keep it moving. Nonetheless, I will pick up her next novel and see if it will improve from this one.

[Sofia Fresia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nella vita di ciascuno c’è un’ultima estate. È quella che ha segnato il passaggio tra l’infanzia e la maturità, in cui interessi, abitudini, compagnie e pensieri sono cambiati di colpo rispetto agli anni precedenti. L’estate in cui ci si rende conto - con gioia, sgomento o rabbia- di essere usciti dal mondo dorato dell’infanzia. L’impero della polvere ripercorre con uno stile impeccabile e corposo un’ultima estate, quella che segnerà una svolta nella vita della giovane protagonista. Mentre la voce narrante della dodicenne Valentina ripercorre i fatti di quei mesi, il lettore non può non interrogarsi sulla natura dei misteriosi e inquietanti fenomeni che avvengono nella vecchia casa di famiglia dove nonna, mamma e figlia vivono in un universo di sole donne. Perché accadono? Sono il conto da pagare per la colpa di qualcuna di loro? Più di una sembra essere convinta che la colpa sia solo sua, ma tutte nascondono segreti più o meno gravosi. L’impero della polvere è stato la piacevolissima scoperta di una giovane autrice davvero brava nel parlare delle debolezze e delle tortuosità dell’animo umano, al limite tra realtà e fantasia.

[Martina S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonostante alcuni punti un po' artificiosi e ripetitivi (invasione delle rane, poi delle cavallette, poi degli altri animali), mi è piaciuto moltissimo il rapporto bizzarro tra le protagoniste e la casa in cui abitano. Una casa strana, viva, che si muove, respira, si crepa assieme agli esseri umani, dove gli animali la fanno da padrone e dove la natura si riprende il suo spazio. Mi ha ricordato, sotto alcuni aspetti, "Verderame" di Mari per il rapporto strano tra bambino e abitazione, in un'estate della pubertà apparentemente come le altre ma in cui tutto cambia. Atmosfere inquietanti, rurali, magiche. Molto bello.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me gustó que la autora haya tomado ese pasaje entre la niñez y la adolescencia como centro del libro, pero me gustó más la idea del libro que pudo haber sido que lo que efectivamente leí y que me dejó de importar en la página 15.

[Annette Wells · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hmmmmmm…. How to even compose a review?

How about this….

If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.

…

[Eli Dhios · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sentirme presa de una página, atascada sin poder moverme, me parece de los logros más extraordinarios de un texto.

Francesa en Un imperio de polvo me generó eso.

[Carlitos Java · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me atrapó el comienzo después va perdiendo intensidad y por suerte en las últimas 30 páginas retoma con mucha fuerza. Me encantó el capítulo final

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Ignore the 10 plagues of Egypt and do your algebra homework instead!

[Sarah B · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this coming of age story, 12-year-old Valentina keeps secrets but also believes many of the strange events in her life are actually her fault. She is quite naive and doesn't even realize that the whole village is gossiping about her family, as they live in the cursed "Blind House". You may not expect this innocent looking book to be horror, but I most certainly found some of Valentina's actions very disturbing...

This novel was a page turner for me. I read the whole thing in one sitting and yes, parts of it were rather shocking. I just kept thinking that she shouldn't be doing the things she was doing.. and some of the scenes in here was like a plague straight out of the Bible! Blood on the walls, swarms of flies, lots of other "bad luck" that just continues on and on...

Meanwhile the poor girl has to deal with superstitious people. How do you know what is true? You believe what your elders tell you, don't you?

But what if you had started the whole mess by accident? Because you were stupid and did some dumb thing? Then others in the family comes along and they don't realize you were the one that did it; instead they think it's something else because they are superstitious. That gets the ball rolling and after that other freaky stuff happens. And that is the very scenario that Valentina finds herself in. More and more happens until it hits a climax at the end. And throughout the story I was worried about what she might do and how far it might go. In fact even now after the book ended I am pondering if in the future her actions might turn into something else.

This was very easy to read and very entertaining.

The only other thing I can add here is I don't exactly understand the thing with the crack in the wall and why she was doing that. I guess maybe it's just because she's a kid? I don't think kids need a reason for why they do things.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

|| THE EMPIRE OF DIRT ||
#translated lit

I read this last month for #womenintranslationmonth

This book had been sitting on my shelves for a while. Originally published in Italian, this coming of age novel follows Valentina throughout the summer she is twelve. Taking place in 1996, we see her grow and change throughout the summer. Big and little things happen to her as she navigates that precipus of childhood and adolescence. It's also a look at three generations of women living in one house, Valentina, her beautiful mother and her grandmother.

Right from the start there's an atmosphere established. It's a bit eerie, a bit strange and it pulled me right in. Valentina lives in a house dubbed "the blind house" and its located in the Italian countryside. The setting, animals, and old house adds to the eeriness. There is an underlying ripple of sorts running through the house between Valentina's mother and grandmother.

There isn't a lot of plot here, it flows slowly but not too slowly. I wrote down a few quotes throughout as the writing was very good, translation also. This is a book I haven't seen around much. I picked it up randomly and I am glad that I did.

[Cenhner Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

¿Una novela cuyo título es una referencia a Nine Inch Nails?
¿Y que su contratapa habla de una casa en el campo donde hay una maldición con ranas, insectos y animales muertos?
¿Cómo podría fallar algo así?

En realidad es una novelita sobre una piba que se está haciendo adolescente, le llega la menstruación, descubre el amor, ve cómo las amistades cambian con la edad, atraviesa el divorcio de sus padres y vive con su madre y su abuela en una casa que se viene abajo. "La maldición" debe ser todo eso, supongo. La cita a Trent Reznor aparece en un monólogo de la madre, que de pronto empieza a hablar como ningún otro ser humano habla nunca.

El otro día le decía a unas amigas que las mujeres en general no se dan cuentan de lo INTENSAS que suelen ponerse, y que los hombres tenemos que aguantar sus neurosis estoicamente, generalmente detonadas por cuestiones que nos importan tres hectáreas de verga pero que para las mujeres son una situación tremenda.
Esto es lo que pasa con este libro.
Supongo que si sos mujer, este libro te va a llegar muchísimo, va a tocar fibras sensibles de tu infancia y tu adolescencia, y tu femineidad.

Como hombre, me sentí completamente estafado por pura publicidad engañosa.

[Caterina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Che bello questo libro. Che bella questa prosa semplice ma piena, che belle queste metafore. Che belli questi personaggi, che assomigliano così tanto a delle persone vere, che possiamo aver incontrato davvero. Non mi capitava da molto tempo di leggere un libro tutto d'un fiato, non tanto per sapere "come va a finire": perché lo sai già come va a finire, a Valentina non succede niente che non sia successo anche ad ognuno di noi. Però forse non lo avevamo ancora visto raccontato così, come una raccolta di piaghe bibliche e segreti agricoli, in cui non c'è più differenza tra dentro e fuori, ma solo tra prima e dopo. Uno dei più bei romanzi che descrivono la fine dell'infanzia come ciò che è: un esodo senza ritorno, pieno di fatti pesantissimi che succedono anche quando, in fondo, non succede niente.

[Patrick Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75
Really enjoyed this! The prose is stunning and seamless, and very readable. I loved it. It’s a novel about growing up as a girl and womanhood, and it has so many good metaphors: the sheep, the blood, the dresses, the makeup, the use of color (on the cover; boyhood sprayed over girlhood). It’s a short book, but I think it would be stronger if it was a little shorter.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

A biblical plague rains down on a family of three generations of women, punishing them for the secrets they’ve kept? or it’s a family curse? or it’s because they’re all witches? I’m not sure and I’m not sure the author knows either.

I enjoyed the writing but there’s not enough here for a story, it’s directionless and introduces side stories that remain as undeveloped as the rest of the book.

It had promise and I’d read more from this author but would hope for a tighter grasp on the story with a bit more substance in the next book.

[readingwsophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Nos quedamos de pie frente a la ventana, viendo caer el granizo sobre los campos, sobre los cultivos, sobre todo lo que conocíamos, viendo el cielo verde, apagado como si fuera de noche, que de repente se iluminaba de ríos brillantes y crepitaba, como si quisiera desmoronarse sobre nosotras.”

[Vic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho, más oscuro y retorcido de lo que esperaba

[Seño Cami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy bueno, me recordó a Carcoma, me gustan los ambientes en pueblos con familias que guardan secretos

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questa storia mi pare un inno al femminile al contempo percepito come una condanna, una maledizione. Detestare la propria condizione di donna, anche in relazione alla perdita dello stato di bambina, e di tutto ciò che rappresenta, sentire il peso della morale cristiana che ha sporcato e condannato la naturalezza di un evento come quello del menarca (e tanti altri); e poi non poter fare a meno di essere quello che si è, rifiutare completamente il maschile - lontano e sconosciuto -, talmente estraneo da essere rigettato dal corpo stesso. Ancora una volta la disperazione dovuta alla perdita dell'innocenza e il modo in cui viene trattata mi ha dilaniata. Molto potente e interessante anche il tema di un posto maledetto, che risucchia, come una creatura viva; non importa quanto forte sia il desiderio di scappar via, esso vive sempre in te e le sue radici attorcigliate alle caviglie impediscono la fuga. Anche questa, credo, è una narrazione dell'esperienza femminile, che vediamo cambiare col passare del tempo e delle generazioni (come i personaggi rappresentano alla perfezione). Abbiamo anche la rappresentazione dei due principali archetipi femminili, le cui influenze si mescolano dando vita ai conflitti tra schiere di angeli e demoni che vengono a rivendicare anime. Lo avrei forse apprezzato ancor di più se questa lotta tra selvatico e addomesticato, con tutto ciò che ne consegue, avesse avuto più spazio. Forse l'idea delle "piaghe" attraverso cui passano le protagoniste è un po' ripetitiva e a suo modo esagerata.

[Scoozer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This book contains some beautiful sentences, but the story didn't hold together for me. It tended to wander and try to pursue too many points, none of which fully satisfied. The story of the three generations of women in a small Italian town living in a broken down house in the 1990s was a compelling premise, particularly with a "family curse" mentioned at the start. But that curse was never fully realized and the ending left a lot to be desired. I was hoping for more.

[Cheryl Winter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am so confused with the point of this book. Is it coming of age or bible related with the plague, bleeding wall, frogs and death. This story wandered with no theme or plot. I don't know what I missed but I missed it!