The Eight Mountains (Le otto montagne) is a book written by Paolo Cognetti and published in 2016. He was born in Milan in 1978. He studied mathematics and later earned a diploma in screenplay at the Cinema School in Milan.

After that, he founded an independent film studio, called Cameracar, and worked on documentaries focusing on social, political and literary issues. In particular, he developed a series of documentaries about US literature. After this work and spending time in New York, he went on to focus on his literary career, including the publication of a New York guide in 2010.

The Eight Mountains is probably his most famous book.

“A modern Italian masterpiece, The Eight Mountains is a lyrical coming-of-age story about the power of male friendships and the enduring bond between fathers and sons.”

The book won the Strega Award in 2017.

“Mountain is not only snow and cliffs, ridges, streams, lakes, pastures. The mountain is a way of living life. One step in front of another, silence, time and measure. Paolo Cognetti learned this, who sets this very powerful novel between a peak and a mountain hut. A story of friendship between two boys - and then two men - so different that they resemble each other, an adventurous and spiritual journey made up of escapes and attempts to return, constantly searching for a way to recognize themselves.”

The story centers around Pietro, a young boy who lives in Milan with his parents. He is lonely and a bit tempered. His mother works in a clinic in the suburbs, while his father is a chemist. The father seems to carry with him constant anger and resentment and the two parents get increasingly more distant. The only thing that the couple and the whole family share is their love for the mountains.

As a matter of fact, Pietro’s parents met while in the mountains, where they also fell in love and then got married. From the foggy and grey sky of Milan, they think with nostalgia of their happy place in the Italian mountains.

Therefore, the family decides to spend their holiday at the foot of the Aosta valley, where they discover a small town, called Grana, and fall in love with it. They immediately decide that this is the place for them.

Pietro spends every summer here and he meets Bruno, an adventurous boy – same age as Pietro – who lives in the valley. Bruno takes care of the cow grazing.

The two become friends and spend their time together exploring the valley, the mountains, their abandoned houses, the mill and all the tracks. But they also discover themselves, as individuals and as friends. They find out what they have in common, what are their differences, their backgrounds and their futures. “The two boys come to find the true meaning of friendship and camaraderie, even as their divergent paths in life—Bruno’s in the mountains, Pietro’s across the world—test the strength and meaning of their connection.”

During this time, Pietro also begins to reconnect with his father as the two of them start to have long walks together, during which Pietro’s father shares with his son his deep and moving passion for the place and its mountains.

This book does not only explore nature and mountainous landscapes, but also human connections, relationships that pass the test of time, the opportunity to learn and discover, and everyone’s very own and unique quest to find their place in the world.