Costa Smeralda Award 2026

«Mom had warned me: forget your friends, forget traveling, the world begins and ends in Triscina. We have a task: to take care of the thing in the bathroom.»

A dark, hypnotic coming-of-age novel where myth, horror, and emotional awakening collide, The Keeper is Niccolò Ammaniti at his most powerful—blending visceral storytelling with profound ethical and psychological depth. 

In a desolate coastal village in Sicily, thirteen-year-old Nilo Vasciaveo lives with his mother Agata and his aunt Rosi in an all-female household shaped by secrecy and necessity. Their marble business is only a cover: for generations, the family has guarded something ancient and unspeakable. This duty is not a choice—it is a destiny. When Arianna, a magnetic and elusive young woman, arrives in town with her daughter Saskia, Nilo’s world begins to fracture. Through her, he discovers desire, tenderness, and the intoxicating possibility of another life. But love is dangerous—because it makes disobedience inevitable. 

A gripping hybrid of crime, horror, and literary fiction, The Keeper evolves into a bold reworking of the myth of Medusa. Ammaniti reframes the myth through the lens of systemic violence: Medusa becomes not just a victim or monster, but an instrument of power. The novel foregrounds the injustice at the heart of the classical story—echoed in a defining line: “Because injustice is the bread of life.” 

Nilo’s experience of first love—intoxicating, disorienting, almost surreal—becomes the emotional core of the novel, transforming a horror narrative into a story of awakening. 

Here's the booktrailer.

Niccolò Ammaniti interviewed by Raffaella de Santis for Robinson

“Ammaniti moves from gritty realism to a more symbolic dimension—without losing the raw physicality of bodies and desire.” - Cristina Taglietti, La Lettura

“A tender vortex of myth and adolescence—part Stephen King, part modern mythmaker.” - Robinson

“His most frightening love story, unexpectedly rooted in Greek mythology.” - Mauretta Capuano, Il Centro

“A masterpiece. A gothic fable steeped in Sicilian salt air—quite simply, a wonder.” - Annalisa Cuzzocrea

 “A dark myth of Medusa reborn, where ancient Greek legend meets modern horror.” - Il Mattino

“Amid human monsters, Ammaniti preserves an unbreakable tenderness—the wonder of childhood resisting evil.” - Il Foglio