It took me nearly three years to write Rumore:77. And only afterwards did I realise something: the whole time, without meaning to, I had a screenplay in my head. Not because I wanted to “do cinema” on paper. Simply because I consume more films and TV series than books, and that grammar had stuck to me: rhythm, mental framing, cuts, silences, details that become clues.
And here’s the choice that might seem strange today. I didn’t want a novel that immediately shouts “something is happening.” I wanted low-volume tension. The kind that doesn’t push you to run, but to look more carefully.
We’re very good at portraying the emergency. Much less good at portraying the management of the emergency. And that’s often where everything gets decided.
If you want to know what it feels like to read a thriller that doesn’t raise its voice, the extract is here: [link]
