Voice from the Stone

Book excerpt: Set in 1950s Italy, "Voice from the Stone" is the gothic and ghost story of Verena, a nurse, and Jakob, a young boy who has fallen silent since the sudden death of his mother Malvina. Jakob is affected by selective mutism. He has decided not to speak believing that silence can bring mummy back and considers Verena as an enemy. Verena's mission is to break Jakob's wall. Jakob fights for his isolation and communicates only with a falcon and the old stones of the ancient country house where they live. As in Henry James' masterpiece "The Turn of the Screw", also in Raffo's haunting psychological thriller everything can be interpreted in a supernatural or non supernatural way and this ambiguity has very amazing results. The inspiration for the novel has came to the author from a real encounter with a boy who chose silence after her mother had abandoned him. Some years later, visiting a little cemetery in Switzerland, Raffo found the names Jakob and Verena written on a grave. Perfect names for his characters tormented by the mysterious voice from the stone.