*Ties*, by Domenico Starnone

This is one of the better Italian novels of the last few decades, and this year’s first fiction must-read.  It is short, easy to comprehend, utterly compelling, and the basic story line is that of a married couple and their children, to say more would spoil the plot.  The introduction and translation are by Jhumpa Lahiri, also first-rate (by the way, here is my conversation with Jhumpa, toward the end she discusses this project).

Here is the Amazon link.   This Rachel Donadio NYT review provides some very useful background knowledge.