Everything Worth Counting

A coming-of-age story about a boy caught between countries. From the quiet villages of rural Romania to the dream of a new life in Barcelona, this is a story of displacement, adaptation, and growing up. Alex is ten years old when the Vrancea earthquake reduces his home to rubble, taking with it his father and his best friend. Suddenly, it is only him and his mother, Eva, left in the ruins. With Ceau¿escu tightening his grip on a fearful nation, they take refuge at his grandparents' home in the countryside. Alex struggles to adapt to rural life, while Eva, in the midst of uncertainty about their future, is secretly plotting their escape. When he least expects it, Alex finds himself hiding in a boat's storage room, his knees clenched to his chest, sobbing and hoping that nobody can hear his beating heart. He begins counting: twenty-one, twenty-two ... For readers who want to be carried back to childhood memories, dive into different cultures and traditions. For lovers of Colm Tóibín and Kazuo Ishiguro, books with a pinch of romance and the gentle irony of a boy struggling to find himself.

A story inspired by real events and places, about a Romanian boy who takes his mother's hand and follows her on a journey from the ruins of their home in 1970s Romania to the dream of a new life in Barcelona. For readers who want to be carried back to childhood memories, dive into different cultures and traditions, adventure with a pinch of romance, and the gentle irony of a boy struggling to find himself. Alex is ten years old when the Vrancea earthquake reduces his home to rubble, taking with it his father and his best friend. Suddenly, it is only him and his mother, Eva, left in the ruins. With Ceaușescu tightening his grip on a fearful nation, they take refuge at his grandparents' home in the countryside. Alex struggles to adapt to rural life, while Eva, in the midst of uncertainty about their future, is secretly plotting their escape. When he least expects it, Alex finds himself hiding in a boat's storage room, his knees clenched to his chest, sobbing and hoping that nobody can hear his beating heart. He begins counting: twenty-one, twenty-two ... "What is the use of imagination if we are all victims of reality?" as Alex would say.