Never the Wind

Praise God, never the wind

1996 — Luca Saracino is thirteen and has been completely blind for eight months when his parents move to a Southern Italian farmhouse they dream of turning into a hotel. With his brother dropping out of university and the family reeling from Luca’s diagnosis, they are chasing dreams of rebirth and reinvention.

As Luca tells his story without sight - experiencing the world solely through hearing, smell, taste and touch — he meets the dauntless Ada Guadalupi, who takes him out to explore the rocky fields and empty beaches. But Luca and Ada find they can’t escape the grudges that have lasted between their families for generations, or the gossiping of the town. And Luca is preyed upon by the feral Wanderer, who walks the vineyards of his home.

As Luca's family starts to crack at the seams, Luca and Ada have to navigate new lands and old rivalries to uncover the truths spoken as whispers on the wind.

'Heavenly Creatures meets Mary Stewart’s lushly scenic gothic thrillers in Dimitri’s eerie sophomore work of religious horror...truly spooky...plenty here to fascinate fans of cerebral horror.' — Publishers Weekly
'It's a ghost story and a love story, full of life and passion, and knowledge. It's a wonderful book.' — Aliya Whiteley, award-winning author of The Beauty, The Loosening Skin and Skyward Inn
'Francesco Dimitri has set himself what would be a daunting challenge for any writer, and he has risen to that challenge with aplomb. The result is beautiful and life-affirming and profound, and I am more than a little in awe. Dimitri is a phenomenon. Read this book. Read it now!' — A. J. Elwood, author of The Cottingley Cuckoo
'Susanna Clarke meets Robert Aikman in this heady, melancholic, nuanced coming of age story. I was utterly entranced by Never the Wind.' — Paul Tremblay
'A coming-of-age story, a tale of old family rivalries and grudges, a supernatural mystery that the blind Luca might be more equipped to unravel than others; Never the Wind is a beguiling thing, that draws you irresistibly into its labyrinth of secrets.' — Will MacLean, author of Apparition Phase
'What a terrific book... I'm truly moved to see such a faithful depiction of real-life blindness in a piece of literature. But Francesco Dimitri has also painted the most wonderful, three-dimensional image of the Italian countryside on my mind's eye, and constructed a masterful tale that is at times chilling and at others cosily poignant in its sublime evocations of youth and summertimes past.' — Maud Rowell, author of Blind Spot: Exploring and Educating on Blindness

'This book is so good that I am speechless. Staggeringly good! An extraordinarily powerful work. Dimitri casts his net into the sea of myth, and brings up a remarkable catch. Family, friendship, horror, humor, wit and deception—I have seldom read a book so powerful.'— Ellen Kushner, author of Swordspoint
'Never the Wind is a tender and magical take on all the potential – and horrors – of adolescence. Dimitri’s writing is full of wonder at the natural world, beautifully mediated through Luca’s heart-rending personal circumstances, and a narrative voice full of pathos and wisdom. An utterly fresh take on the coming-of-age tale, with something deliciously awful and folkloric – in the darkest possible way – about the story’s triumphant climax.' — Ally Wilkes, author of All the White Spaces
'A sensory treat! Never the Wind is richly realised, and Francesco Dimitri is a marvel.' — Oliver K. Langmead, author of Birds of Paradise and Glitterati
'Damn, this is good. This is the kind of fantasy that I wish I could write, and I am awestruck.' — James Brogden, author of Hekla's Children
'Francesco Dimitri is a true visionary in contemporary fantasy fiction. His masterful storytelling has echoes of Alan Garner in its invocation of the landscape of the author’s native Puglia and the ancient magic that throbs just beneath the surface. Fiercely intelligent, achingly heart-felt, Never the Wind will live on in your dreams long after the last page has been read.' — Mark Chadbourn, author of Age of Misrule