Andrea Bajani’s novel depicts life with violent father and complicit mother

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, July 12, 2026

Andrea Bajani’s novel "The Anniversary," recipient of the Strega Prize, recounts a man’s decade-long estrangement from his abusive parents through a detailed exploration of familial violence and complicity. The book highlights the psychological scars inflicted by the father’s aggression and the mother’s enabling silence, offering a candid portrayal of trauma and survival that challenges readers to confront the complexities of domestic abuse.

Andrea Bajani’s novel "The Anniversary," awarded Italy’s prestigious Strega Prize, offers a stark examination of family violence and complicity. The book, translated by Geoffrey Brock, centers on an unnamed narrator who severs ties with his parents after years of enduring abuse, marking a decade of silence at age 40.

Set primarily in a small city en route to the Alps, the narrative unfolds through the narrator’s retrospective account of his troubled upbringing. He describes a father characterized by violent outbursts and controlling behavior, which extend beyond private family dynamics into broader social interactions. Among incidents cited are the father smashing his daughter’s birthday cake, attempting to destroy a canoe belonging to his children, forcibly ejecting his elderly mother from the home, and even injuring himself by punching a refrigerator. The father’s aggression also manifests in his relationship with the narrator’s fiancee, expressing possessiveness with the remark, “You’re taking my son away from me.” His distorted worldview leads him to claim responsibility for the death of a family friend, attributing illness to a supposed “special weapon” wielded against those he deemed morally culpable.

The mother’s role in this family is complex and central to the narrative’s exploration of complicity. Initially portrayed as a subdued figure overshadowed by the father’s dominance, she ultimately emerges not simply as a victim but as an enabler. The narrator highlights her consistent absence during moments of abuse, noting that she “looks away” whenever violence occurs. Their relationship is described as symbiotic despite its dysfunction, reinforcing the sense that escape from such a family environment requires distancing from both parents.

Technological control underscores the atmosphere of repression within the household. In the 1990s setting, the father’s reluctance to allow a landline phone limits the mother’s communication options. The phone becomes a symbol of surveillance and restriction, with conversations closely monitored and the device often disabled to signal disapproval. The family adapts through a covert system of single-ring calls designed to convey availability without incurring charges or provoking the father’s ire.

While the novel acknowledges fleeting moments of normalcy—such as shared family hikes, casual kitchen conversations with the mother, or the father’s private moments of dancing—these are overshadowed by the persistent presence of fear and control. Bajani’s narrative methodically dissects the long-term psychological impact of abuse, using the act of writing as a means to confront and understand this reality.

Critically, the novel’s detailed prose maintains a tone of precision and intensity, reflecting a therapeutic "machine for thinking" as described by the narrator. Though some passages exhibit hesitation or lack detail, this sporadic ambiguity contrasts with an overall rigorous and candid portrayal of familial trauma. By persistently cataloguing the events and dynamics of his past, the narrator presents a compelling study of violence and survival within an ill-fated family.

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