Anna

Ammaniti (I’m Not Scared) conjures a solemn dystopia in this picturesque view of a world gone wrong. Four years after a virus wipes out all adults, 13-year-old Anna Salemi spends her days foraging in the ruins of a Sicilian landscape ravaged by fires, looting, and violence. Dogs rove in packs, desperate for food, as do the nearly feral children who’ve been left behind, untouched by the Red Fever—until puberty strikes, and they become susceptible to the virus. Anna channels her energy into pursuing one goal: keeping her younger brother, Astor, alive and well. When other kids storm their farmhouse, Anna must choose to either fall into the despair afflicting the other children as they reach the end of their lives, or to strike out for an enigmatic sector known as the Strait in hopes of finding a cure. Although the story is bleak, Ammaniti focuses on the resilience of those striving to live the best lives they can. “In the end,” one of his characters states, “what’s important is not how long your life is, but how you live it.” Ammaniti keeps this reminder at the heart of his rich, deceptively optimistic tale. (Mar.)