Matteo Righetto – författare

In this exhilarating coming-of-age tale set in the late 19th century, a daring young woman braves the wilds of the mountainous Austrian-Italian border—and the dangerous men who conspired with her missing father to smuggle tobacco—in order to save her family. Jole de Boer is just fifteen years old the first time she accompanies her father—a tobacco grower named Augusto—as he smuggles his product across the Italian border into Austria. She knows the dangers of the treacherous high mountain passes—border guards, brigands, wild animals, ferocious weather—but she is proud that her father has asked her to join him. After all, without the extra money Augusto’s smuggling brings in, their family would starve. But when Augusto mysteriously disappears during one of his trips, Jole must retrace the route he took to both find a buyer for her family’s tobacco—and the truth behind her father’s disappearance. An epic tale of revenge, corruption, and salvation, The Soul of the Border is an unforgettable journey into the wild.

'Harrowing, suspenseful and convincing . . . beautiful' Daniel Woodrell, author of Winter's Bone'Poignant . . . haunting and altoether memorable' BooklistA story of revenge and salvationTwo years ago, Augusto De Boer embarked on his annual journey through the Italian Alps, attempting to smuggle his family's tobacco crop across the border to Austria. He never returned.Now Augusto's daughter Jole must retrace her father's steps alone, navigating the perilous crags and valleys surrounding the border to discover the truth about her father's disappearance.Soul of the Border is a ferocious tale of revenge, salvation, and an exhilarating journey into the wild.

Winter 1868. On the rugged mountains of the Veneto, the inhabitants have by now almost completely disappeared: most of them, oppressed by appalling poverty, have emigrated to America in search of a better life. Holding on to this breathtaking, lonely landscape, is the De Boer family. But their precious tobacco smuggling gold is stolen by bandits, and twenty year old Jole De Boer, must face the disaster alone, armed only with her father's old rifle. During the chase, Jole passes through woods and deserted snow-covered villages on a journey that will force her to go much further than she ever imagined. For she soon learns that the border between good and evil can almost never be detected with the naked eye and the human search for redemption is endless.