Solitary (Hardcover)

Those who are free don’t realize it, But they live on a thin layer of Perforated, crumbly soil. They too can be swallowed up at any moment into the world down here. In the ‘hole’, the pit of solitary confinement, the world shrinks horizon narrows, while what’s outside appears less and less real. We learn more every year about the damaging effects of this unquestionably cruel and unusual pun- ishment, which leaves prisoners with no human contact, sometimes for years at a time, and nearly always leads to lasting trauma. In solitary, Maurizio torchio takes on the daunting task of narrating this most grueling of experiences. His novel transcends the personal experience of the narrating voice, his journal entries, expressing not only the condition of being imprisoned but also that of being completely isolated, confined in a prison within the prison. In this closed world seemingly out of time, The prisoner still yearns for human contact. Ultimately, this desire is a form of hope, reminding us that ineluctable human qualities survive even in the most inhumane of spaces.