PRESS RELEASE (19/12/2014)
Sunday, December 21, a Loano, at 16.00, in the Civic Library, will be presented the book “On the other side” by the journalististaloanese Luca Berto, published by the Municipality of Loano.
Leading the meeting with the author will be. Graziella Frasca Gallo, curator of the review.“Books Under the Tree” promoted by the’Department of Tourism, Culture and Sports of the Municipality of Loano.
The mystery novel is set in Loano and is based on facts and events gleaned from the history and cultural heritage of the coastal town. On a gray Loano in early November, while on the Costino di Monte Carmelo, young fiancés Maddalena Cielo and Alessandro Oliva disappear into thin air, leaving behind only a pool of blood and no clues. Investigating the affair, each in their own way, will be the carabinieri marshal Stephen Picasso, Alexander's father and well-known entrepreneur with a dark past. Gianpiero Oliva and Magdalene's journalist brother Luke Sky. The latter, after a long and arduous search, will discover how the disappearance of his sister and her fiancé is inextricably linked to a millennia-old secret that has run throughout the history of the city in which he was born and raised and has returned to threaten the world.
“The story spans several genres. - explains the author Luca Berto - It is a detective story, because it narrates the search for the truth about the sudden disappearance of an engaged couple. It is a historical-anthropological tale, because (apart from some necessary narrative licenses) it exposes historical events that actually happened and refers to traditions and folk tales that are part of Loano's past. With this in mind, the plot's complex historical reconstruction brings to light events and facts that the local collective memory has set aside or forgotten, linking them together in a verisimilar way and demonstrating how sometimes History (especially local History, always so rich in curious and original legends) can be fascinating and capable of surpassing fantasy. But ’On the Other Side’ is also an example of “counter-history” because it elaborates and mixes elements of pure invention with authentic historical facts, creating a very plausible and realistic plot.“
Luca Berto was born in Albenga in 1983. After graduating in modern literature from the University of Genoa and a master's degree in multimedia communication at the Savona campus, he began collaborating with several Ligurian newspapers. In 2011 he landed at the Savona editorial office of Il Secolo XIX, with which he still collaborates as a “correspondent” from the Loano area.
Soundtracking the meeting will be the musical accompaniment of maestro Roberto Sinito.
