Without Blood [Hardcover]

Alessandro Baricco (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

From the author of the acclaimed international best-seller Silk, here is an unforgettable tale of the cruelty of war, a little girl’s shattered world, and her lifelong quest for revenge and healing.

When—in an unnamed place and time—Manuel Roca’s enemies hunt him down, they fail to discover Nina, his youngest child, hidden in a hole beneath his farmhouse floor. And so, doing just as her father instructed, she neither speaks nor stirs as he is viciously slain above her hiding place. Only after this carnage will one of the murderers discover Nina’s trapdoor. But Tito, a mere boy himself, is so enthralled by the sight of Nina’s perfect innocence that he says nothing to his accomplices.

By the time she has grown up, Nina’s innocence will have bloomed into something else altogether, and one by one the wartime hunters will become the peacetime hunted. But not until a striking old woman calls upon an old man selling newspapers in town—the old man Tito has become—can we know what Nina will ultimately make of her brutal legacy. With the indelible truth of a fable, Without Blood reminds us that all wars are the same—the same mistake infinitely repeated in the hearts and deeds of wronged men and women—and that no life can remain untouched by loss or by hope.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Completely satisfying . . . Much longer volumes manage to say a lot less than Without Blood . . . Every page is powerful, every character . . . is memorable . . . Baricco and his tiny novel will be around for a long time to come.”
–Ian Bell, Sunday Herald (Glasgow)
“A haunting and powerful read.”
–Jane Alexander, Ink (London)
“A fable for adults . . . Baricco is the new Hans Christian Andersen.”
–Carla McKay, Daily Mail (London)
“Without doubt, this little book will move whoever picks it up.”
–Mark Barber, Morning Star (London)

From the Inside Flap

From the author of the acclaimed international best-seller Silk, here is an unforgettable tale of the cruelty of war, a little girl?s shattered world, and her lifelong quest for revenge and healing.

When?in an unnamed place and time?Manuel Roca?s enemies hunt him down, they fail to discover Nina, his youngest child, hidden in a hole beneath his farmhouse floor. And so, doing just as her father instructed, she neither speaks nor stirs as he is viciously slain above her hiding place. Only after this carnage will one of the murderers discover Nina?s trapdoor. But Tito, a mere boy himself, is so enthralled by the sight of Nina?s perfect innocence that he says nothing to his accomplices.

By the time she has grown up, Nina?s innocence will have bloomed into something else altogether, and one by one the wartime hunters will become the peacetime hunted. But not until a striking old woman calls upon an old man selling newspapers in town?the old man Tito has become?can we know what Nina will ultimately make of her brutal legacy. With the indelible truth of a fable, Without Blood reminds us that all wars are the same?the same mistake infinitely repeated in the hearts and deeds of wronged men and women?and that no life can remain untouched by loss or by hope.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; First American Edition edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400041457
• ISBN-13: 978-1400041459
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,251,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing but powerful, May 22, 2005

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Without Blood (Hardcover)

This novel is disappointing beside Baricco's Silk and Ocean Sea but is still well worth a read. The clarity and "rightness" of his prose continues to create very enjoyable reading.

The first half of the book sets the stage - a political murder of father and brother experienced by a young girl hiding under the floor. The second half is the meeting of the now grown woman with the one surviving murderer. What sets Baricco's handling of the plot apart from many authors is the surprising depth in his understanding of the psychological effect on his particular character. Her behavior is unexpected yet perfectly congruent with her personality. This raises the book from polemic into a fascinating study of human nature. It is well worth the short time it takes to read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a story of most powerful human feelings, December 28, 2006

By 

Aleksandra Nita-Lazar (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Without Blood (Hardcover)

This time Alessandro Baricco decided to tackle a situation of real trauma, getting for a while out of his world of towns full of extraordinary characters and strange events.
"Without Blood" is another compact work, consisting of two parts, separated by time.

In the first part, a group of men tracks down and kills someone, who during the recent war was on the other side of the barricade. Unfortunately, he has two small children and they get involved - a boy gets killed, but a girl is spared and survives.

In the second part, the girl, now an old woman, has her turn to track down all the murderers of her father and brother and kill them. After years of hiding, careful planning and concealing her emotions, she does what she feels must be done. On the beautiful summer day she arrives at the lottery kiosk and meets the last of the group - the man, who secretly spared her life...

Although both parts of the book are in sharp contrast (bloody events at the remote farm versus a sunny day in the town full of people), they are both about revenge, about justice and about personal pain. Written in the characteristic Baricco style, clear and poetic, this is another of his brilliant mini-novels. It might not be equal to "Silk", but it is still a masterpiece.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good little fable, November 6, 2004

By 

M. T. Vancampen (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Without Blood (Hardcover)

This is a powerful fable of the personal toll war takes on individual lives. Baricco deftly explores how both sides of a conflict feel that what they are doing is right and for an ultimate higher good. The slight volume also examines how the personal aspect of war does not disappear once the war ends. In this tale, it lingers on in dangerous rage and ultimately futile schemes of revenge that beget more violence.