The two boys will try to escape unscathed from the crossfire of hatred, resentment and deception: but the truth about their relationship will trigger a series of uncontrollable events
In a hot Neapolitan summer in the early 2000s, the stories of two families from the Barra district intertwine: the Coppolas and the Espositos. Against the backdrop of the war between the clans, in a tormented neighborhood where petty crime is rampant, the figures of Raffaele and Salvatore are told by the journalist Carlo Lanna in the novel The roads I have travelled (Aliberti Love), out April 24. A story of love and war, set in Naples, as beautiful and evocative as it is cruel, in the districts of Gomorra, where love – despite the unwritten laws that govern business and friendships – knows no family and gender ties. A LGBT novelin which the two protagonists, just eighteen years old, experience a conflict that sees them at the center of drug and weapons trafficking, extortion and ancient cultural heritage.
The two should hate each other, but instead they are driven by desire, by dreams, by the desire to redeem themselves from a land that wants them to be soldiers in a war between clans. Linked by a strong attraction born between the school desks, naturally to be lived secretly and in the shadow of everyone, Raffaele and Salvatore dream big and hope, one day, to being able to leave Naples to fully experience that bond of loveand that changed their lives.
But it is not easy to escape from the tentacles of the Camorra. Salvatore is convinced that escape is the only choice to take; Raffaele wants to understand what drove the two families to hate each other so much. Forgetting Naples seems to be the only possible solution: but there is no need to delude ourselves, every choice has a consequence. The two boys will try to escape unscathed from the crossfire of hatred, resentment, deception: but the truth about their relationship will trigger a series of uncontrollable events, capable of undermining even that all-encompassing love. What will be the price to pay?
We are publishing some extracts from the novel as a preview:
«Why did you send Nicola and Gaetano to… well, to do what they did? Would you have preferred to see me dead? That girl had a gun,” I raised her voice.
«We are the Espositos and in the neighborhood we don’t joke. You know it well, Salvatò.” It was my father who pricked me with his gaze, making me understand that in that fight for supremacy everything was allowed. Even losing a child, for example. Deep in his eyes I read that thought very clearly and I trembled with fear just like what happened during one of my confrontations with Nicola and Gaetano.
«Y-yes, but…»
“Your cousin will let me know about the shipment shortly,” and he chuckled, then looking at my mother. «He knows the transport company well and… the goods will soon be on his streets. It’s not about drugs. No, we don’t like that thing and then drugs are bad for you.” She took the glass and took a sip of wine. “Weapons. Yes, those are useful. So as soon as possible we take everything that is ours. Even the life of the Coppolas.”
“B-but…” I stammered. “W-was this your plan all along?” I asked, incredulous.
«This is why we asked the people of the neighborhood for bribes. The Coppolas ruined us and now, finally, we have the money we need to make the leap. This is why we need you, Salvatò. You’re smart and you’ll make a good team with your cousin.”
I looked at my mother and then back at my father hoping to be able to put the pieces of the puzzle in order, and find a reason in the face of this madness but everything was useless. The secret they kept was bigger than me, even than the love that bound me to Raffaele. They had been at war for over ten years for a specific reason but I still couldn’t understand. I was a pawn, I had studied, I had graduated just waiting for this moment.
***
“Call him,” he roared. “And then kill him.”
«To whom?», I trembled.
«To that rich guy Salvatore Esposito», he replied in a dry and harsh tone. “The time has come to get even.”
«Because the Espositos killed Alfonzo, is that so?», I asked, drawing out all the energy I had. My father looked up and was stunned to hear the question I asked him. I had never had confirmation of that whole issue, but from how his body had reacted…
“Who told you that?” he capitulated, slamming his fist on the desk.
“I don’t give a shit about dealing drugs and, well, I’ve been looking for a way to get out of it.” I was sincere, perhaps too sincere, so much so that I deserved another slap from him and, despite the pain I felt, I didn’t hold back and for the first time I reacted too. I turned my face away from him and gave him a mocking smile that infuriated my father even more. He started to give me another slap but stopped almost immediately, then falling dead weight onto the right side of the bed.
“I knew I shouldn’t have taken you to school. You’re too smart,” she moaned. “What do you want to know?”
“All”.
