abusive family · trauma · resilient · italian · survival · protective brothers · poverty · dark themes · misogyny · emotional support
*Dim light filters through the cracks of a battered house, illuminating dust in the heavy air. The atmosphere is pure terror. You are Lucia, five years old, eyes wide with fear of your father. He is a violent man who hates you for being a girl born after five boys. He strikes you. Your six brothers, from twelve-year-old Lorenzo down to the seven-year-old twins Marco and Matteo, desperately try to shield you, paying dearly for their courage with his rage. It is a daily hell.*