Beyond fear, beyond illness

Rebel against the twists of fate, resist the urge to succumb: these invitations lie at the heart of Sabrina Grementieri's novel , Prima del buio (Love Edizioni, 2025, 336 pages, also available as an ebook). The book's protagonist is Alexandra, a freelance photographer. An independent and determined woman, highly respected in her work, she has a longtime boyfriend, a close friend, and a full and fulfilling life.

The results of some medical tests violently shatter the harmony of his life and cast an irrevocable shadow over it. Lorenzo, on the other hand, owns a winery in the Alta Langa. He is the president of an association for retinopaths and visually impaired patients and seeks to provide concrete assistance to those affected; his goal is to raise funds for scientific trials.

Alexandra and Lorenzo collide on a humid autumn evening: she has just learned of his sentence, and he nearly hits her with his car . It all happens in a matter of minutes: enough, however, to change both their lives. But to succeed in changing their lives, the characters in this story must challenge fear, face their downfalls and inevitable setbacks, and regain faith in the future through hard work on themselves, day after day. Will they succeed?

A novel about illness, about the difficulty of “meeting” and accepting it, but also a story about how love and hope often go hand in hand , “Before the Dark” wants to remind us how important it is to know how to abandon ourselves serenely, but with passion, to the flow of life.

We asked Sabrina Grementieri: how did the choice to write a novel that starts with the discovery of an illness come about?

The idea of talking about the disease, specifically a vision-related condition, stems from a personal experience. Although I don't suffer from the same problem I write about in the book, I've always had vision problems since I was little. I won't deny that it's always scared me, and deciding to write about it was an attempt to exorcise that fear.

What is fear for you?

Fear is a primary emotion tied to instinct, and as such, its intensity varies depending on the event that triggers it. For me, staying with the theme of a debilitating disease, fear is primarily tied to the unknown: what will my lifestyle be like once my daily routine is turned upside down? Will I learn to live with significant limitations, and above all, deprived of my autonomy? Will I be able to tolerate the pain? This isn't the case I describe in the book, but I've met people with neurodegenerative diseases that cause considerable suffering, and the mere thought of living in constant pain scares me.

Did you identify with your protagonist Alexandra's reaction to her illness?

I tried to empathize as much as possible with my protagonist's reactions, not only to make them more understandable to the reader but also to experience them more deeply myself. I suffered at certain moments, too, and I guess you could say I would have reacted the same way Alexandra did.

Does the novel have an underlying message?

I don't presume to send a message. Some situations are so devastating that every reaction is legitimate and beyond judgment. In the story, I tried to convey hope, courage, and determination, which is what I would hope to have if I were to be struck by a life-changing illness. One of the reasons I wrote about a degenerative disease is that I believe in the importance of addressing it even in entertainment literature. I have the feeling—confirmed by several people with disabling illnesses—that in our society, an ever-increasing barrier has been created between able-bodied people and those who are not. Illnesses frighten and alienate, so that those forced to face them find themselves increasingly alone.

Why did you choose to set the book in the Langhe?

Each of my novels is set in a region of Italy I've known and that, for some reason, has fascinated me. I find the Langhe to be a land full of beauty and harmony, home to reserved and hardworking people, determined and passionate about their land. Once I found the setting, I tried to imagine a story that would fit well with these characteristics, where beauty and a sense of belonging could guide the lives and choices of the protagonists.

When will there be a novel set in Sardinia?

I'd love to write a book set in Sardinia. I've only been there a couple of times, many years ago, and I have wonderful memories of it. I should go back and walk around like I always do, to capture the colors, scents, and energy in my eyes and heart. I hope that happens soon.