English Summary/英文概要： A fascinating, evil woman capable of devouring both darkness and light, and a young woman who has only on the power of love, engaged in a battle that lasts a lifetime.

A deep affection between a young man capable of flight and a young woman with the light of purity in her eyes.

An extraordinary, original novel, filled with thrilling adventures and magical events.

Certain encounters have the power to change the course of our lives forever. For Rechella, a child in Nuoro in the early 1960s, the encounter is with Martino and the grandmother who takes him in after he has been abandoned by his parents. Martino is a boy with a fervent imagination, filled with visions so powerful that they allow him to take flight: he is able to see beyond, where the clouds become stormy seas navigated by pirate ships. But even more particular is his grandmother, Jaja, a woman both respected and feared: she is capable of opening passages in time and space, of telling stories that come alive, of knowing the life secrets of others and molding them as she does the herbs in her kitchen. Rechella is both in love with Martino and fascinated by Jaja, until a terrible tragedy forces her to see: Jaja is a sùrbile, a woman who absorbs the energy of those she loves most to increase her own immense vitality.

Rechella has only one choice for survival: she must leave, she must go out into the world. Her journey will introduce her to other extraordinary characters who will accompany her on the long search for the indelible light that not even the power of the sùrbile can destroy.

Awards/获奖情况： The title is for the fourth week in a row at the top of sales of Italian fiction and general bestseller list.

And the book is also nominated for the Premio Strega, the main literary prize in Italy. The winner will be announced at the beginning of July 2025.

“Istella mea tells of one of the most intense love stories of all time … a magical treasure chest inside of which infinite stories unfold onto incredible panoramas and unimaginable adventures. A novel that the reader will fall into, as if in a dream ...”
– editors Antonio Franchini and Giulia Ichino