This is the "tortured" story of an enmeshed teacher and pupil.

Teacher Silvia gives extra attention to struggling pupil Giovanna, recognising that she is having problems with her schoolwork.

Giovanna herself has been struggling with puberty and an emerging sexuality as well as schoolwork. Her family background complicates her troubled adolescence.

Giovanna takes her own life (NOT commits suicide as this bears the connotation of a crime being committed) .
Silvia goes missing in the woods and experiences a mental health episode , as she takes shelter in a hut in the woods.
The author makes explicit links to fairy tales of family misfits and the symbolic significance of woods in such tales.

In the woods, another misfit pupil, Martino finds her . Martino has recently come from smoky Turin, to hopefully cure his asthma What will he do ? There is a cloud of suspicion surrounding Silvia, in this small Piedmontese village.

There is a marked sense of claustrophobia in this disturbing book . Please see the author's note for more background .for its origins.

I found it unsettling and far from being a standard "crime novel" . Skilfully written with flashes of brilliance , it failed sadly to completely capture me, but will be a memorable read for many readers.

Based on the author's note, we learn that this slim novel was based on real-life events that happened to her grandfather's cousin and her student. In the novel, Vaglio Tenet explores how the teacher Silvia deals with the grief over Giovanna's death. This is not a spoiler, as we know from the the beginning that Giovanna has died. The book examines the reason for her death, and Silvia's reaction. How do you deal with the immense guilt that one decision can so much unintended damage?

I found the story to be reasonably compelling as child abuse and family violence impacts the village. Vaglio Tanet does an admirable job at creating the portrait of Silvia because we grow to understand her life and how she feels like an outsider who has harmed one of her students. We also understand Giovanna's family life, and how she has reacted to the violence around her. I would recommend readers look at the "Authors's note" before they read the novel as it gives insights into character of the teacher and the young student.

There's a drawback to this novel, and it's a significant one. The English translation by Jill FoulsTon is just not compelling. It's very dull and it distracts from the story.. Foulston is usually reliable, so I don't know what happened here. With that said, I would read another novel by Maddalena Vaglio Tanet; I just hope that future work is better translated.

A great novel, introspective enough for literary themes, quickly paced for something to read on holiday. There's good character depth, interesting ideas and that set it aside from your usual novels of this mysteriousness. Definitely one I'll recommend.

Untold Lessons is a curious book based loosely on the experience of the writer's own family.

In the story Giovanna, a student who does not seem to fit in with her classmates, begins to skip school. Her teacher, Silvia, who has already spent many hours helping Giovanna, feels compelled to speak to her mother about the increasing absences despite knowing that Giovanna is often beaten for bad behaviour. On learning that her mother intends to tell her father, Giovanna threatens to kill herself. Her mother doesn't believe her and Giovanna throws herself from a fourth storey window.

The tragedy does not end there because on learning of the child's death Silvia walks away from her life, disappearing completely.

The book concentrates on the stories of Silvia, who is discovered by new boy, Martini (who has moved with his mother from Turin to improve his asthma) and the help Martino offers the teacher. It also delves into the lives of Silvia's distraught family and the fractured family of Martino.

The novel deals with issues of family, love, loss, suicide and bullying in a sensitive way. It certainly appears to be a very strange story amd knowing it was based on fact does not make it any less so.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the advance review copy.

After an eleven (!) year old girl commits suicide, her guilt-ridden teacher disappears into the forest. The villagers go out on an search and when they don't find her they expect the worst.

I haven't read too many Piemontese novels (I can only think of Natalia Ginzburg), and found the atmosphere interesting. The highlight is the nature writing, with beautifully written and detailed descriptions of the forest and the mountains.

The plot I found ultimately slightly unsatisfying (though I understand it is based on a true story) and I also would have expected a deeper exploration of the suicide rather than the teacher.

3,5 rounded down.

"Untold Lessons" is a beautifully written novel that masterfully intertwines poetic language with a haunting storyline. The emotional depths of the characters are touchingly portrayed, with each journey illustrating themes of loss. Although I found these dark themes and tragic events overwhelming and depressing, the compelling storytelling and poetic beauty offered me quite an immersive reading experience. Despite its somber tone, the moments of introspection and hope make this book a captivating read for those who appreciate stories with many emotional layers.

There's a sort of mythic or fairy tale element to this story as a female teacher takes refuge in a wood after a young pupil of hers commits suicide. But maybe something was lost in the translation as I wanted the prose to feel lush and intense but too often it fell back into the plain and mundane. With images of children and questions about female roles there are important things being thought about here but the flat style left me largely disengaged, I'm afraid. Perhaps this works better in the original?