Three O'Clock in the Morning

Gianrico Carofiglio is one of Italy’s bestselling authors. He has written short stories, novels, and essays that have been widely translated. He was previously a member of the Italian parliament and an anti-Mafia prosecutor in Bari. His books have sold more than five million copies in Italy.

"Three O’Clock in the Morning is a tender, heady and heartwarming tale where the strained conversation of a father and son transforms into a lifetime bond." — Seattle Times“This is a wonderful book.”  — Antonio D’Orrico, La Lettura“A coming-of-age journey that is as rational as it is touching, and that builds up some crucial symbolisms in the reflections of a beautiful dryness.” — Leonetta Bentivoglio, la Repubblica“It’s not a crime story but the suspense is still there, in Gianrico Carofiglio’s coming-of-age novel.”  — Alberto Riva, il Venerdì di Repubblica"This offbeat, nostalgic work reminds us of the things that are most important in life." — BookBrowser“One of those novels for which you feel sorry in the last pages, when reading slows down to ward off the final word.”  — Il fatto quotidiano"Their primary task is simple: Don’t fall asleep. Instead they walk and they talk—about love, about mathematics (Dad’s specialty), about food, about philosophy, about life.... subtle precision informs every page, as does a deceptive simplicity laden with all that happens when you’re not paying attention....The title comes from a quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald: 'In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o’clock in the morning.' Here those dark nights arrive with shimmering, unforced beauty, filling the pages with jagged moonlight like the finest neorealist film. A journey by foot: crisp, lean, yet quietly mournful." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Antonio tells the story in his own unadorned first-person voice from his perspective as a 51-year-old adult, a fact that adds wisdom to this absorbing novel of filial bonding.” — Booklist"A compelling, compact story...Gianrico Carofiglio’s Three O’Clock in the Morning is profound in its simple delivery." — New York Journal of Books"Reading this wondrous book is like wandering the streets of a bewitching foreign city, highly attuned to its pleasures and tensions, thrilled by its freedom and possibility. I was deeply moved by its tenderness, its honesty, and, most of all, by the unlikely journey father and son take to discover each other as if for the first time. Carofiglio is a master of voice and atmosphere, which gives this elegiac novel its satisfying and emotional punch." — Christopher Castellani, author of Leading Men“[A] poignant and moving father/son story…. Antonio’s catalog of intimate experiences, whether painful, pleasurable, or bittersweet, make for an enchanting coming-of-age tale.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)