A 16 year old can save San Francisco
Adventure and science fiction mix in the new novel by Gianluca Grechi
San Francisco, 1990s. It all begins when some FBI agents show up at the home of Ethan, sixteen years old, search it and arrest his father, a reporter, on charges of espionage. The boy knows what they are looking for: an encrypted document that the man has hidden in the garage. Ethan deciphers the document, but will soon discover that a much more serious threat puts his city at risk: San Francisco. With the help of his friends Abby and Michael and a war veteran who lives on the streets with his dog, he will manage to avoid disaster.
Among crystals with mysterious powers, ancient legends, daring escapes, towers and buildings that are sucked into the bowels of the earth, Gianluca Grechi with "The summer in which Ethan saved San Francisco" (Edizioni Corsare, 2023, Euro 13, pp. 254) offers an adventurous novel capable of conquering both young audiences and adults. Non ha caso inaugurates a new fiction series from Corsair editions called BORDER, which collects stories in the balance, which cross the boundaries between different ages and literary genres and tell those crucial moments that life, with its continuous challenges, calls us to face and overcome. And Gianluca Grechi certainly loves to cross some boundaries too, given that he comes to writing from a degree in economics and a professional career as a manager. All experiences which for Grechi are still part of his background as a writer: «In reality, fiction has always been there. Studies in economics came later. My passion for inventing stories has been a constant, ever since I told them to my young children. My studies in economics helped me set up my work in a structured and organized way, invaluable skills in creating the plots of my books."
How did Ethan's story come about?
«It all started with a seemingly simple question: what happens when you realize that your city is about to experience an extraordinary and at the same time terrifying event, and then you realize that reality far surpasses everything you had imagined ? This is what happens to Ethan who finds himself facing a mysterious threat looming over his city. How will his friends react? And his parents? Reveal the truth to them, risking their lives? Or act alone? Who will accompany him in this adventure and who will oppose him? These are questions that go beyond the daily life of a teenager and open the door to a world of uncertainties and dangers."
Why did you choose a sixteen-year-old as the protagonist?
«Adolescence represents a period of transition: no longer children, but not even adults. The world opens up with infinite choices and possibilities, but experience and maturity are still lacking. We face life with sincerity, without masks, and by accepting the consequences of our actions, because this is how we grow. This inner journey is reflected in relationships with peers, forming intense and unique bonds like never before in the future."
Why San Francisco as a city to save?
«The most direct answer is that I lived in San Francisco for ten years, and it is the city where my children grew up. It is a place of extraordinary beauty, perfect as a backdrop for a mystery, with its enveloping mists, its steep ups and downs, and then, of course, the majestic Golden Gate and Alcatraz Island. However, San Francisco is also a frontier city, the golden access point to the vast American continent, from the years of the gold rush to technological revolutions, the internet and artificial intelligence. A city to be saved at all costs."
What new adventures await Gianluca Grechi the writer?
«I'm currently working on a new book, and this time I decided to go back to my roots, setting the story in my hometown, Milan. The protagonists remain two teenagers, but this time Ethan and Abby become Marco and Valentina. The plot revolves around the discovery of an ancient and disturbing clock, inside which a mysterious mechanism is hidden. Through a series of enigmatic clues, Marco and Valentina will be led on a fascinating journey through the city, trying to reveal the secrets of the clock, its origins and the destiny that could dramatically mark the future of Milan."
