by Martin Amis
First published 2010
Keith Nearing arrives at an Italian castle in the summer of 1970. He's twenty, on break from college, and ready to embrace the sexual revolution sweeping across Europe. The castle becomes a playground for Keith and his friends as they navigate the chaotic freedom of changing social norms. But Keith discovers that liberation comes with unexpected complications. The old rules have died, yet new ones haven't taken their place. He finds himself caught between worlds, uncertain how to move forward. The summer's events create ripple effects that will influence Keith's romantic relationships for decades. What begins as a season of possibility becomes a lesson in the messy reality of social transformation. Keith learns that revolution doesn't just change society but transforms the people living through it in ways they never anticipated.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age, contemporary, adult-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Europe, Italy
Period: 1970
370 pages · Hardcover · Knopf