''As God Commands'' ( it, Come Dio comanda), also known as ''The Crossroads'', is a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

Niccolò Ammaniti Niccolò Ammaniti () is an Italian writer, winner of the Premio Strega in 2007 for '' As God Commands'' (also published under the title ''The Crossroads''). He became noted in 2001 with the publication of ''I'm Not Scared'' (''Io non ho paura'') ...

. In 2008, director

Gabriele Salvatores Gabriele Salvatores (born 30 July 1950) is an Italian Academy Award-winning film director and screenwriter. Biography Born in Naples, Salvatores debuted as a theatre director in 1972, founding in Milan the Teatro dell'Elfo, for which he directe ...

adapted the novel into a film of the same name.

Plot

It tells the misadventure of Cristiano Zena, 13 year-old, and his father Rino in an Italian suburban area.

Reception

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' described the novel as "overexplicit" and flipping "over into the truly grotesque". ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' outlined the story of the novel as "grim but redemptive". The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' praised the novel "as gritty as it is suspenseful". ''As God Commands'' won the 2007

Strega Prize The Strega Prize ( it, Premio Strega ) is the most prestigious Italian literary award. It has been awarded annually since 1947 for the best work of prose fiction written in the Italian language by an author of any nationality and first published ...

with 144/356 votes.

References

External links

* 2006 Italian novels Strega Prize-winning works Arnoldo Mondadori Editore books {{2000s-novel-stub