Rita da Nova - As Coisas que Faltam

When she was eight years old, Ana Luís asked for the first time to meet her father. It was very common for her mother to say no to everything – no, she couldn't go to her friends' houses because she had to study; no, I couldn't have ice cream because it was just ice and sugar. Of all the negative answers I was used to receiving, however, that one hurt the most. Ana Luís grows up feeling that something is missing and that she doesn't belong anywhere. Living with her mother, a cold and domineering woman, imprisons her in a lonely place. It is in the figure of the father that you place all your hopes: he is the missing piece of the puzzle and, when you meet him, your life will finally make sense and you will feel complete. THE THINGS THAT ARE MISSING, Rita da Nova's highly anticipated debut novel, tells the story of a woman searching for her place in the world. In a plot of increasing emotional density, the author skillfully explores the complexity of human identity, the importance of the family circle, and the stories that repeat themselves, sometimes from generation to generation.