Synopsis

At first glance , The Man with Roots in Heaven might seem like merely a medical and human story of pain and healing, an extremely intense, at times dramatic, private affair, the chronicle of a harsh ordeal that life imposed on Alessandro, its protagonist. But this book is much more: a meditation on life and death, on God and man, on the dynamics between freedom, vocation, and destiny. Alessandro is a writer, "he teaches history, gives public readings of Dante," and is an expert on the cartography of Eden. For years, he has studied the images of the lost place of perfection and happiness described in the Bible. It is not easy to locate a heaven on earth, but it is a constant effort in search of an elsewhere that involves him too. He is, in fact, a dreamer, always seeking new adventures, but he feels the need for a higher love, an ideal form of feeling capable of reconciling the needs of the body with those of the spirit. Suddenly, however, his vertigo of beauty becomes physical vertigo. Alessandro begins to feel very ill, to the point of canceling all his engagements because he can't stand. In London, where he lives, Charlotte, a former student of his, comes to his rescue, offering him help despite his having already seduced and abandoned her. A brain tumor diagnosis forces Alessandro to make an abrupt change in his life, and his illness becomes the starting point for a deeper reflection on the mechanics of existence and relationships. Alessandro's story is intertwined with ancient myths and biblical stories, teaching us how to overcome the hell of the ego and reach a paradise that is ever beyond but actually very close, against the backdrop of the same primordial glow that generates galaxies and communities, love and friendship.