The Dear Teacher: A Novel

“Maddalena Vaglio Tanet captivates us from the very first sentence, telling through her stirring style the depths of fear and breadth of the human heart. As if Elena Ferrante's heroines had come to northern Italy to find themselves caught between tender longings and bitter disappointments.”—Floran Illies, bestselling author of 1913

With the depth and emotional power of Go as a River and Dear Edward, a poignant and evocative debut novel from an exhilarating new international talent, based on a true story, about the heartwarming bond that develops between a grieving teacher and a student.

One morning, a teacher disappears into the woods. As whispers fill her classroom and relatives scour the streets, she melts into a wild landscape, a darkly entrancing place where boars roam free, silver birches tower overhead, and the air is filled with the songs of ancient birds. Sinking deeper into a bed of moss and her own memories, the teacher seeks refuge from the shocking news of a favorite student’s death—a death in which she may have played an unwitting part.

Back in town, behind shuttered windows and on factory floors, the mystery of the woman’s disappearance takes hold. Who is Silvia really? A teacher of rare kindness, living outside of expectations, or a solitary misfit without a family of her own?

When another student stumbles upon her hiding place, a solitary boy with his own troubles, it seems like the search might be over. But what do you do with a missing woman who doesn’t want to be found?

Lushly written and told with mesmerizing intensity, compassion, and warmth, The Teacher is an atmospheric debut that explores human vulnerability and connection, isolation and community, hope and healing, and what it means to return to ourselves.