A review by shankar
If You Kept a Record of Sins by Andrea Bajani

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

“𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙨, 𝙤𝙝 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙, 𝙤𝙝 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙, 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙?”

The story follows a young Italian man, Lorenzo, who goes to Bucharest for her mother’s funeral and  to settle her part of the business there. Lorenzo's mother left him when he was a child so that she could be free herself to to become an entrepreneur with a more exciting partner in business and love.

Lorenzo’s boyhood memories of his beloved mother who travels forever and returns sporadically, the unusual business trips which drifts her away from him gradually, leaves a big empty hole in his life. Now, after many years, he learns about how his mother spent the end of her days alone and self destructed by the betrayal of her lover and business partner for a young Romanian woman.

The story alternates between the present day and Lorenzo’s past with her mother. Much of the narrative consists of Lorenzo considering his mother's role in his life. It is set in post-communist Romania where the globalisation has taken its root. There are many references to the oppressive reign of the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu, especially the scene of a visit to the People’s Palace built by the dictator. There are pieces of racial comments by Italian master against Romanians workers, especially the Roma people who look like Indians. Overall, it is an astonishing powerful, profoundly moving portrayal of a mother-son relationship. The unsparing writing of Andrea Bajani is superb and flawlessly translated by Elizabeth Harris. Definitely read this book!⁣