The Night of the Malombre

Italy had its own ‘Titanic’… Adventure, love and death on a train, inspired by a devastating true story.

In the freezing night of 3rd March 1944, the train travelling from Naples to Potenza was found at a stop in a tunnel near Balvano. Hundreds of bodies lay inside and all around it. Of course, massacres are not uncommon in wartime, but these corpses had no wounds. To unravel the mystery of goods train 8017 we must go back in time, elbow our way up onto the long convoy and look the clandestine passengers in the face. Like “Rocco the rogue”, looking for loot in the crowd. Or “Brando”, forced to look after his family too young. When his pure determined gaze meets that of “Nora”, the daughter of Dr Moscati (who is on the train to find his lost son) their souls make an indissoluble connection. But something is tormenting the girl: she has seen the imminent danger in the form of malombre, dark presences that are harbingers of death according to popular belief. But who will believe her?

• The legends and the truth about Italy’s most serious railway disaster, long-forgotten over the years, in a sweeping and powerful story.
• The style is also suited to adult readers, appealing to parents and teachers.
• Shortlisted for the Strega Children’s Prize 2021