Description

Sicily 1980s When she was just eight years old Tina watched as her father a member of Cosa Nostra was murdered in cold blood Now a teenager she terrorizes her hometown of Gela having made it her mission to join the mafia an organization traditionally forbidden to women as made members Nicknamed a masculidda or the tomboy Tina has taken charge of her own gang and is notorious for her cruelty and reckless disregard for societal expectationsWhen a news article is published about Tinas latest crimes a teacher living in Rome feels compelled to write a novel about hereven though it means returning to her native Sicily to gather material She and Tina circle around each other in a dangerous dance of obsession and violence until their first and last explosive meetingThis groundbreaking exploration of gender identity and cleareyed presentation of an unseen side of the mafia is a landmark literary achievement by one of Italys feminist icons