This novel by the great Italian literary scholar Alberto Asor Rosa tells the story of ordinary people. However, Assunta and Alessandro are not just any people; they are the author's parents. The mother is a housewife who ensures the family's survival even under the most difficult conditions. The father is a railway worker, like previous family members, an activist in the union, and a socialist. Asor Rosa weaves the thread of his family history over nearly a century: a careful and loving reconstruction—not only of the life story of a Roman couple but also a small history of Italy.