Alba De Céspedes

A rediscovered classic from 1935, the Cuban-Italian author's debut collection of 18 stories brings to life the final years of a bygone world. Convinced that he shares a destiny with the doomed protagonist of a serialized novel, a man begs its author to change the ending. A 15-year-old boy experiences the sweet melancholy of an unrequited first love, as his older cousin prepares for her wedding in the country.
A small detail shatters the illusions of a once-happy husband, making him doubt his vivacious young wife. Written in clear, beautiful prose with acute psychological insight, Alba De Céspedes's remarkable first book is filled with characters who feel at once timeless and deeply rooted in a way of life that would soon be destroyed by World War II.