LA RAGAZZA ETERNA

A great love story, a merciless and hilarious human comedy, a journey into the universe of psychedelic drugs.

Renata is a one of a kind, a woman of great beauty and intelligence; she is an irresistible rebel with the grace of a tropical butterfly. For this reason Boccia has always accepted the idea that their love could not take the form of a stable couple and he even found the strength to attend her marriage (with someone else). But one day Renata rings the door of his apartment in downtown Bari and reveals that she has received a dramatic medical diagnosis; she needs a place to stay. And he can not let her down. In her own unpredictable way however, Renata chooses to repress her problems by diving into Bari colorful and dangerous social life. It is up to Boccia - who is a psychiatrist and has a high sense of his mission - to come to terms with the dark shadow that has touched them. Together with a colleague, he begins to consider the possibility of experimenting with Renata a therapy that is illegal under the Italian law, but according to the scientific community holds promise to treat depression, addictions, and deeper anxieties: the psychedelic assisted therapy using substances such as psilocybin, ayahuasca, and LSD. This novel is a journey inside the human mind, its sufferings and its possibilities - of opening, sharing, and generating new worlds. It is also a social novel, describing the secularization of contemporary life and staging a human comedy with irresistible humor. And it is a great story of love, the one between Boccia and Renata, but also the love we can show for our ghosts and ourselves deciding to open to a new sense of time and identity. Born in Salerno in 1971, Andrea Piva is a screenwriter, storyteller and professional poker player. He made his debut in 2000 as author of the film LaCapaGira, winner of David di Donatello, Nastro d'Argento and Ciak d'Oro Award for best first work. He is the author of two previous books: Apocalisse da camera (Einaudi 2006) and L'animale notturno (Giunti 2017).