
Marta is raised by her grandmother in her house in Trieste, a safe haven of stories, books and enchantment. She knows that her mother died when she was young, and she believes that her father is a Turkish prince. But, as she grows older and this fairy tale disintegrates, Marta feels only anger towards her grandmother for withholding information about her parents. When her grandmother dies, Marta is alone in the world. One day, in the dusty attic, she finds a box belonging to her mother which may help to uncover her own past. With clues found in her mother's journal and a worn photograph, Marta decides to track down her father, who she believes may still be alive. Feeling the need to escape her grandmother's house, which is populated by secrets, Marta embarks on a journey to Israel, seeking what is left of her mother's family in an attempt to make sense of where she came from. Written as a young woman's narrative addressed to the memory of her grandmother, Listen to My Voice is a poignant coming of age story, and a beautifully crafted meditation on the importance of history and belonging.
Author

Susanna Tamaro is an Italian novelist. Her second novel Per voce sola (Just For One Voice) won the International PEN Award and was translated into several languages. Her novel Va' dove ti porta il cuore (Follow your Heart) was an international bestseller and became the "Italian book most sold in the 20th century".